Monday, June 30, 2008
She's Smiling!!!
Not much time to update, but Eve is smiling, and I'm pretty sure it's on purpose! She's done it 4 or 5 times the past couple of minutes! Maybe she's taking my advice and giving her cheeks a last-minute workout before all the Buckinghams come and start pinching and kissing them!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Another Mop Chop
We went for another hair cut today. It's crazy how often John needs his hair cut! I just feel so bad for him because it's so thick and it gets so hot. We went a good bit shorter today to try to combat the heat. John was much busier than before and wouldn't let Miss Heather get NEAR him with the clippers. Thank goodness she's patient!
We had a crazy time at Babies R Us today. I decided to take them both (decided not to take both much of anywhere after a rough time at the grocery store a while ago) because it's Babies R Us and people typically don't look if you have a tantrum on your hands...typically if that's the case, you're not alone. Well, you know your child is being bad when you get looks at Babies R Us. After trying multiple times to climb into the back, smooshing Eve's face (again, multiple times), throwing her burp cloth on the floor (multiple times...see a trend?), throwing his shoes, screaming repeatedly, and hitting me (multiple times), we left emptyhanded. I'll think twice before I brave that again! Thank goodness Eve was asleep the whole time. Of course, on the way home he was being so silly and cute and we had a great time. So many things he does are hilarious and just can't be put into paragraphs. We need the video camera all the time. He's counting a TON now...almost always skips 5. He's also trying to repeat almost everything which can be very amusing.
Eve is 1 month today! Wow, it has really flown by! I know it only goes faster and faster. She smiled really big at me today, but I don't think it was on purpose. Still, it was so sweet.
We had a crazy time at Babies R Us today. I decided to take them both (decided not to take both much of anywhere after a rough time at the grocery store a while ago) because it's Babies R Us and people typically don't look if you have a tantrum on your hands...typically if that's the case, you're not alone. Well, you know your child is being bad when you get looks at Babies R Us. After trying multiple times to climb into the back, smooshing Eve's face (again, multiple times), throwing her burp cloth on the floor (multiple times...see a trend?), throwing his shoes, screaming repeatedly, and hitting me (multiple times), we left emptyhanded. I'll think twice before I brave that again! Thank goodness Eve was asleep the whole time. Of course, on the way home he was being so silly and cute and we had a great time. So many things he does are hilarious and just can't be put into paragraphs. We need the video camera all the time. He's counting a TON now...almost always skips 5. He's also trying to repeat almost everything which can be very amusing.
Eve is 1 month today! Wow, it has really flown by! I know it only goes faster and faster. She smiled really big at me today, but I don't think it was on purpose. Still, it was so sweet.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Stats
Eve went to the doctor this morning for her 1-month well check. She weighs 8 lb. 14 oz. and is 21 inches long. Right now she's very near John's birth stats! She finally looks like she's in the right car seat, kind of. She's still really scrunched down in it. At least now the buckle doesn't take every little bit of space between her lap and her chin.
She's still sleeping in the car seat, and we're not fighting it. She's got a little trouble with reflux, no more than expected in babies, and I think that's why she doesn't like to lay flat in the cradle.
She's spending more time awake, but it varies a lot from day to day. She's really working on her neck and leg muscles, showing a little more interest in toys and people, and I really think she'll start smiling soon. She's already smiling with her eyes. So precious.
She did have her first bath last week...first real one. She slept right through it. That's much better than screaming through it. Her belly button is like tight lips. I still haven't been able to actually clean inside it!
The other day I laid her down on a play mat and John went over and started to interact, and almost sort of play, with her. It was so fun to watch. He already tries to share toys with her (very impressive for his age, if you ask me), but it was fun to watch more interaction. I think she actually noticed him a little bit too.
Yesterday we went to the pool and I absolutely can't believe how well John is doing. He swam the entire width of the pool with help only from his life jacket! Buck actually had a good distance between the two of them for a majority of time in the pool! He's a great teacher. It's probably good that I can't be in the water with him because it would be hard for me to let go (isn't that the case for moms every step of the way?)!
I was just remembering some of the funny things John used to do that I don't have recorded anywhere. He used to sit on the floor and use one foot to spin around and around...he was his very own sit-n-spin...very funny to watch. He also used to do a bear crawl everywhere rather than a regular crawl. I'm not sure why, maybe his knees hurt?, but everybody thought it was funny. He did that for a long time...until he started walking. He took his first steps when he was 10 months. We kept thinking he was close to walking, but didn't really want to encourage it so early! A neighbor gave us a walking push-toy. Within the first 5 minutes of playing with it he was walking, and 10 minutes later he put the toy aside and never really played with it anymore. I guess that's all he needed to get started. He never would hold anybody's hand for help, and it's the same story now...refuses to hold hands.
It's so fun to think of what Eve will be like. Will she have my stubbornness like John? Will she have Buck's mischief like John with that devilish smile? The only think I can tell right now is that she's going to have lots of hair...from the both of us!
She's still sleeping in the car seat, and we're not fighting it. She's got a little trouble with reflux, no more than expected in babies, and I think that's why she doesn't like to lay flat in the cradle.
She's spending more time awake, but it varies a lot from day to day. She's really working on her neck and leg muscles, showing a little more interest in toys and people, and I really think she'll start smiling soon. She's already smiling with her eyes. So precious.
She did have her first bath last week...first real one. She slept right through it. That's much better than screaming through it. Her belly button is like tight lips. I still haven't been able to actually clean inside it!
The other day I laid her down on a play mat and John went over and started to interact, and almost sort of play, with her. It was so fun to watch. He already tries to share toys with her (very impressive for his age, if you ask me), but it was fun to watch more interaction. I think she actually noticed him a little bit too.
Yesterday we went to the pool and I absolutely can't believe how well John is doing. He swam the entire width of the pool with help only from his life jacket! Buck actually had a good distance between the two of them for a majority of time in the pool! He's a great teacher. It's probably good that I can't be in the water with him because it would be hard for me to let go (isn't that the case for moms every step of the way?)!
I was just remembering some of the funny things John used to do that I don't have recorded anywhere. He used to sit on the floor and use one foot to spin around and around...he was his very own sit-n-spin...very funny to watch. He also used to do a bear crawl everywhere rather than a regular crawl. I'm not sure why, maybe his knees hurt?, but everybody thought it was funny. He did that for a long time...until he started walking. He took his first steps when he was 10 months. We kept thinking he was close to walking, but didn't really want to encourage it so early! A neighbor gave us a walking push-toy. Within the first 5 minutes of playing with it he was walking, and 10 minutes later he put the toy aside and never really played with it anymore. I guess that's all he needed to get started. He never would hold anybody's hand for help, and it's the same story now...refuses to hold hands.
It's so fun to think of what Eve will be like. Will she have my stubbornness like John? Will she have Buck's mischief like John with that devilish smile? The only think I can tell right now is that she's going to have lots of hair...from the both of us!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pictures
First some pictures to compare...
Here's Eve with her tiger - 2 days old, then 2 weeks old. I guess not too much of a visible difference except that her eyes are open. I'll try to remember to keep up with these every so often.
Here's Eve at 3 weeks (plus a few days)
And John at 4 weeks (plus a few days)
Again, Eve
And John (I should've looked first to face them the same way)
Think her pacifier is big enough? There's hardly room for her nose, but she doesn't seem to care.
High five, Daddy! She was sleeping like this the other day and cracked us up.
Big guy/Little guy. Cute shirts. They were a gift when John was born...finally fit!
Here's our sweet little patriotic one.
Mmmmmmm strawberries!
Sweet kiss (on the lips...we're going to have to watch out for him!)
Belly Button
Big newst! Yesterday at Hobby Lobby Eve officially became an innie! The day kind of went by too fast, and she was so sweet sleeping in the evening I didn't want to bother her, so she'll have her first REAL bath today. Yippie! She'll like that so much more (hopefully...she really hates the cold wipe-down bath).
John is talking more and more, repeating EVERYTHING! He's getting 3 or 4 syllables or words at a time now. He's still acting out, but the cold is gone, teeth don't seem to be bothering him, and it really doesn't seem like Eve is bothering him, so I guess he's just almost 2. He's just really challenging authority now, and God is evidently trying to teach me patience (is it bad to say that God seems to be failing? I guess I'm just failing to pick up on it quickly.) At times, though, John is so well behaved. We went to the zoo this week and he was so good, and we had so much fun! He managed to get me into the reptile house and did a great job looking around on his own. My eyes stayed glued to the floor!
I have more pictures I need to post, but Eve decided that 3-6 am was a time that she should be wide awake (fortunately not crying...just awake), so I'll have to decide between downloading them and taking a nap!
John is talking more and more, repeating EVERYTHING! He's getting 3 or 4 syllables or words at a time now. He's still acting out, but the cold is gone, teeth don't seem to be bothering him, and it really doesn't seem like Eve is bothering him, so I guess he's just almost 2. He's just really challenging authority now, and God is evidently trying to teach me patience (is it bad to say that God seems to be failing? I guess I'm just failing to pick up on it quickly.) At times, though, John is so well behaved. We went to the zoo this week and he was so good, and we had so much fun! He managed to get me into the reptile house and did a great job looking around on his own. My eyes stayed glued to the floor!
I have more pictures I need to post, but Eve decided that 3-6 am was a time that she should be wide awake (fortunately not crying...just awake), so I'll have to decide between downloading them and taking a nap!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day
As I'm typing this, Buck is taking a nap on the couch with our little sleeping pill...otherwise known as Eve. So sweet.
John seems to be doing better with her, a little less jealous I think, but still definitely about to be two! He definitely likes to have his way. Some days I get so frustrated, then on days like yesterday, he falls asleep in the car and I get to carry (and snuggle) that sweet little thing up stairs. What a special time. It's a good time to remind me that while he can be difficult, he's also very very sweet. I love doing that.
Yesterday we went to downtown Greenville. They had the farmer's market and an event called Touch a Truck. They had a fire engine, excavator, police car, school bus, recycle truck (Buck's favorite by far), police boat, huge army vehicles, and some others. They let the kids climb up in them, honk the horns, pretend to drive, or whatever they want. With as much as John LOVES all of those things, we were a little surprised that he was much too scared to get on any of them...except the Trolley. On the trolley he danced around and enjoyed ringing the bell, but he was clinging tight to Buck the rest of the time...wouldn't even walk. I'm sure next year we'll be wishing for that when he's been in the fire engine for 30 minutes and we still can't get him out! He did enjoy looking and pointing. I suppose the highlight of the trip for him was the berries from the farmer's market. His sweet little sleeping face had red and blue all over it.
Eve is awake a bit more, although not much. She's actually sleeping some in the cradle (rather than the car seat) but it takes some effort.
Eve gets oohs and ahhs wherever we go. It's funny, though...up until John was about a year, no matter how masculine his clothes were, people often said "What a pretty little girl". I think generally they look similar (especially their hair), and lots of people think she's a boy-nevermind the pink dress!
Since it's Father's Day, I should write what I'm often thinking. We are so fortunate to have such a special Daddy. It's something that so many people take for granted, but something that so many people don't have. I think of all the single mothers, abandoned or abused children, people whose dads just aren't around for one reason or another, and I realize how thankful we should be...how blessed we are.
John seems to be doing better with her, a little less jealous I think, but still definitely about to be two! He definitely likes to have his way. Some days I get so frustrated, then on days like yesterday, he falls asleep in the car and I get to carry (and snuggle) that sweet little thing up stairs. What a special time. It's a good time to remind me that while he can be difficult, he's also very very sweet. I love doing that.
Yesterday we went to downtown Greenville. They had the farmer's market and an event called Touch a Truck. They had a fire engine, excavator, police car, school bus, recycle truck (Buck's favorite by far), police boat, huge army vehicles, and some others. They let the kids climb up in them, honk the horns, pretend to drive, or whatever they want. With as much as John LOVES all of those things, we were a little surprised that he was much too scared to get on any of them...except the Trolley. On the trolley he danced around and enjoyed ringing the bell, but he was clinging tight to Buck the rest of the time...wouldn't even walk. I'm sure next year we'll be wishing for that when he's been in the fire engine for 30 minutes and we still can't get him out! He did enjoy looking and pointing. I suppose the highlight of the trip for him was the berries from the farmer's market. His sweet little sleeping face had red and blue all over it.
Eve is awake a bit more, although not much. She's actually sleeping some in the cradle (rather than the car seat) but it takes some effort.
Eve gets oohs and ahhs wherever we go. It's funny, though...up until John was about a year, no matter how masculine his clothes were, people often said "What a pretty little girl". I think generally they look similar (especially their hair), and lots of people think she's a boy-nevermind the pink dress!
Since it's Father's Day, I should write what I'm often thinking. We are so fortunate to have such a special Daddy. It's something that so many people take for granted, but something that so many people don't have. I think of all the single mothers, abandoned or abused children, people whose dads just aren't around for one reason or another, and I realize how thankful we should be...how blessed we are.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Pictures
This was even sweeter than the picture...if you can imagine.
Meghan, Knox, and John.
Redneck?
BIG difference!
He's got great hair in his genes!Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Catching Up
So, I'm a few days behind. Monday Eve, John, and I went to the doctor. Eve weighed 7 lb 10 oz. Almost 1 lb. up from when she was born! Everything was good. She'll go back in 2 weeks. John was 32 lb. and has a sinus infection. No wonder she seems so light to me!!! He got to stand on the big boy scale for the first time!
Yesterday my roommate from Clemson, Claire, came to visit with her two (Meghan is 4 and Knox is a few days older than John). We all had a blast! Knox is just as big as John. He's a little taller and slimmer. We keep placing bets on who would win a wrestling match, but luckily they didn't try to determine a winner. I'd hate to see the aftermath! They have a history. John beat Knox hands down in a drinking race at a tailgate when they were a few months old. Knox beat John hands down when they were just starting to crawl (we still say he cheated and played dirty because 1. He went straight for John's hair and Knox didn't have any to pull at the time, and 2. He was on performance enhancing drugs at the time...steroids for an antibiotic allergy). Anyway, they played so great together and it was so fun to see them.
Cute story...wish i had pictures or video of it. Meghan was holding Eve and John wanted a turn. We really hadn't done that yet, but what the heck. I had him sit down in the chair, and I held her on his lap. It was so sweet...except she was hungry and crying. Before I knew it his finger was in her mouth (sinus infection and all). She couldn't have been happier and he just kept laughing and laughing. It was so so cute! Of course, now I can't get him to stop putting his finger in her mouth.
Yesterday my roommate from Clemson, Claire, came to visit with her two (Meghan is 4 and Knox is a few days older than John). We all had a blast! Knox is just as big as John. He's a little taller and slimmer. We keep placing bets on who would win a wrestling match, but luckily they didn't try to determine a winner. I'd hate to see the aftermath! They have a history. John beat Knox hands down in a drinking race at a tailgate when they were a few months old. Knox beat John hands down when they were just starting to crawl (we still say he cheated and played dirty because 1. He went straight for John's hair and Knox didn't have any to pull at the time, and 2. He was on performance enhancing drugs at the time...steroids for an antibiotic allergy). Anyway, they played so great together and it was so fun to see them.
Cute story...wish i had pictures or video of it. Meghan was holding Eve and John wanted a turn. We really hadn't done that yet, but what the heck. I had him sit down in the chair, and I held her on his lap. It was so sweet...except she was hungry and crying. Before I knew it his finger was in her mouth (sinus infection and all). She couldn't have been happier and he just kept laughing and laughing. It was so so cute! Of course, now I can't get him to stop putting his finger in her mouth.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Big Day
Yesterday was a big day for all of us. G.G., Aunt Patty and Aunt Mimi came to visit! Poor little Eve had to perform all day long, but she did a great job. She was awake a lot. She's been sleeping ALL DAY today, trying to recover, I'm sure. We had such a great visit with them, Mama and Daddy, Amy, Ryan, Bella and Marco. Bella and Marco both got their hair cut for the first time yesterday, but we stayed home to let John nap. John is swimming all by himself (with a life jacket, and for short periods of time). I got some video...I'm free to do things like that since I can't swim for another couple of weeks (which is KILLING me...I so want to get in the pool with him). I'm still amazed at what he can do in the pool! I guess Buck is a great teacher. This was only his third time in the pool this summer. He also went #1 on the potty for the first time! I caught him in the act while I was changing his diaper, so Buck took him to the potty...and he did it! We made a huge deal about it and he couldn't have cared less. Today we caught him in the #2 act and put him on the potty, so that's two days in a row! I don't expect we'll make a habit of that, I think it was just luck both times, but still very exciting.
Friday, June 6, 2008
She's Awake!
Yesterday was the longest Eve has been awake. She may have dozed off for a minute here and there, but she was awake for a few hours! And she still slept through the night (I woke her up to eat, but she was stirring anyway), so that's great. Today G.G., Aunt Patty and Aunt Mimi are coming in town on a whirlwind trip. Poor Papa was holding Eve yesterday and said "This is the last time I'm going to get to hold you for 3 days". Maybe when she poops he'll get a turn. Her eye looks like it's clearing up a little bit (she had a plugged tear duct). Maybe that's why she's willing to open it more.
John seems to be doing a little bit better. He's still having some meltdowns, but let's be realistic...he's almost 2. He's been sleeping a lot too, and I think it's because he's not feeling well. He still gets very upset if he can't see his Baby E. To be fair, he has also had some times where he has been very well behaved, and I've been very proud of him. We went to Mutts (BBQ place we frequent) to meet Daddy for lunch yesterday. It definitely takes a little ( a LOT) longer to get out of the house, but we're braving it and doing fairly well.
I am so thrilled to be unemployed and staying at home. I should probably be getting more work done around the house, but it's just too fun enjoying my kids. I'm thinking 99 and 101 as high temps the next few days will help us stay inside and maybe get more work done. I really am so pleased with our choice for me to stay home. We'll see how long it takes for the rest of my hair to turn grey.
John seems to be doing a little bit better. He's still having some meltdowns, but let's be realistic...he's almost 2. He's been sleeping a lot too, and I think it's because he's not feeling well. He still gets very upset if he can't see his Baby E. To be fair, he has also had some times where he has been very well behaved, and I've been very proud of him. We went to Mutts (BBQ place we frequent) to meet Daddy for lunch yesterday. It definitely takes a little ( a LOT) longer to get out of the house, but we're braving it and doing fairly well.
I am so thrilled to be unemployed and staying at home. I should probably be getting more work done around the house, but it's just too fun enjoying my kids. I'm thinking 99 and 101 as high temps the next few days will help us stay inside and maybe get more work done. I really am so pleased with our choice for me to stay home. We'll see how long it takes for the rest of my hair to turn grey.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Imagination Emerging
I guess as long as kids are playing with toys, they're imagining, but John seems to have jumped to a new level over the past few days. Although he's really having a rough time with teeth, a bit of a cold I think, and his whole world turning upside down; he's really impressed me with a few things. He's still really sweet to his baby sister and loves for her to be around, he just doesn't want me to feed her. He does try to give her a pacifier (and gets really upset that she doesn't seem to want it), asks to see her as soon as he gets out of bed, and pats her head when she cries. It's very sweet. On the other hand, his new favorite phrase is "Baby down" because he wants me to put her down.
Back to his imagination, just this week for the first time I saw him imagining that food was something else. He had a piece of breakfast bread that he was imagining was a car, and a chip was a boat. He was also playing with Thomas the train yesterday at breakfast and thought it would be nice to share his breakfast. It's so fun to see his imagination coming out.
I was also really impressed yesterday because he found a puzzle that a neighbor handed down. It has different colored cars with numbers 1-10 on them. I put the puzzle on the table for him. I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen it before. He started counting. Now, mind you, he missed a few numbers, but basically got the ones he remembered in order. And what really impressed me was that he recognized that the numbers on the cars were numbers, and that's what we're saying when we count.
Oh, and one other thing that really impressed Buck. My parents have a bird feeder at the kitchen table and he loves to watch the birds. They've been working on the bird names with him. The other day we had a finch at our bird feeder and I asked John what kind it was. When he said Finch, Buck looked at me in disbelief as if it were luck, but he really does know a handful of them. I think Buck was mostly impressed because I'm not sure HE knows what a finch is :)
Not much of an update on Eve. She's still sleeping almost all the time. I had to wake her up to feed her last night, and I'm really having trouble keeping her awake to eat. She had another bath last night and HATED IT! She'll like it once she can get in rather than just using a wash cloth. She needs to hurry up and lose her umbilical cord because if she doesn't John's likely to pull it off. He tried yesterday to no avail.
Back to his imagination, just this week for the first time I saw him imagining that food was something else. He had a piece of breakfast bread that he was imagining was a car, and a chip was a boat. He was also playing with Thomas the train yesterday at breakfast and thought it would be nice to share his breakfast. It's so fun to see his imagination coming out.
I was also really impressed yesterday because he found a puzzle that a neighbor handed down. It has different colored cars with numbers 1-10 on them. I put the puzzle on the table for him. I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen it before. He started counting. Now, mind you, he missed a few numbers, but basically got the ones he remembered in order. And what really impressed me was that he recognized that the numbers on the cars were numbers, and that's what we're saying when we count.
Oh, and one other thing that really impressed Buck. My parents have a bird feeder at the kitchen table and he loves to watch the birds. They've been working on the bird names with him. The other day we had a finch at our bird feeder and I asked John what kind it was. When he said Finch, Buck looked at me in disbelief as if it were luck, but he really does know a handful of them. I think Buck was mostly impressed because I'm not sure HE knows what a finch is :)
Not much of an update on Eve. She's still sleeping almost all the time. I had to wake her up to feed her last night, and I'm really having trouble keeping her awake to eat. She had another bath last night and HATED IT! She'll like it once she can get in rather than just using a wash cloth. She needs to hurry up and lose her umbilical cord because if she doesn't John's likely to pull it off. He tried yesterday to no avail.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Flying Solo
Today is our first day at home with Daddy at work all day! Fortunately he left a little bit late to make sure I could have a shower. So thoughtful! It's 10:15 and we've only had one time-out and two spankings...not too bad. Oh, and one head-butting (Eve wasn't too happy about that and neither was I!). John is still trying to be nice to her but just doesn't understand that she's not ready for rough-housing. Thomas the tank engine videos are now my new best friend. He LOVES them and it gives him a distraction mostly when she's eating. Eve continues to sleep almost all of the time. We get one or two periods of about 10 minutes awake, and that's about it. She's still sleeping great at night too. I think John is the only one that can really complain at this point. Poor thing, his teeth are really bothering him too. I can't help but think that's a large part of his problem, even so, he's really doing quite well considering his circumstances.
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