A busy little bee

Ivy is so alive these days. She is constantly moving and flailing around unless she is sleeping. She is still the sweetest little thing and loves to have her hair petted and be talked to. She tries to talk back and is always cooing and smiling. She is ready to be able to sit up and get moving, I think she is bored of being on her back all the time. She LOVES her mobile! It is so funny to watch her try to reach her mobile because she concentrates so hard and is very serious about trying to get it. It wears her out to sit under it and run around on her back. If she is tired of being on her back she will watch me and make noises at me to come pick her up. She loves to "perch" on my shoulder like a little bird while being carried around. It is her lookout. I think she is going to be a social little girl because she really doesn't like to be left out. She will suck on anything, blankets, pacis, fists, toys. She wants to put everything in her mouth. Sometime when she is sleeping, she will keep one eye open to make sure you dont put her down.

She is a great sleeper (8 - 5ish) and does not really need a schedule at all. I just let her tell me what she needs. Wade was not this way, he was on a tight schedule and did really well with it. She hardly cries unless her tummy hurts. Her tummy had been awful and hurting her for about two months. I experimented with my diet and any time I eat dairy her stomach just can not handle it. No more dairy for me. She is much better now and so happy! Her spitting up is so much better also, and Im thankful for that. Now I only have to change shirts about once a day as opposed to 5X.

She still has that full head of hair. It looks exactly like Michael's hair. So thick and light brown. I still cant go anywhere without someone commenting on her hair. I always find Wade checking out her hair, I dont think he understands what the big deal is....it is just hair! When Ivy wakes up in the morning her hair is wild, sticking up in all directions. I need to take a pic of it.

Cathy, Michael's mom, showed me a picture of herself when she was a baby. Ivy looks exactly like her! We are going to have another little Cathy Keller running around soon.
















Snuggle bug. She takes the best naps in mom and dad's bed.

My little Man

Wade is really such a little man! We went to visit his preschool last week, so I dressed him in a button down vineyard vines dress shirt and khaki shorts - maybe a bit mature for his age but we didnt really have any other options since daddy has forbid john johns. So, we went to eat & play at chick-fil-a after wards and everyone was commenting on how he looked like a little man. I was like, "oh yes, I just picked him up from his office." One woman said "your children are born looking grown up already." She thought Ivy was 6 months(she is 3 mo. ! ) I just laughed. Must be that hair. I certainly think they look like babies.

Wade is so funny these days, as always. He thinks Im a jungle gym and climbs all over me, even when Im nursing. He climbs on everything and if he cant reach something will get his stool or chair to assist. He can destroy our house in about 2 seconds and take 2 hours for him to pick it up. He is so busy all day long; talking, singing, climbing, playing, pretending. He loves to feel secure and still loves his blanket even though it stays at home all the time now. He is scared of the dark because he thinks spiders will get him in the dark. Sometimes I go into his room in the morning and he has turned on all his lights before falling asleep. He has very nice manners and always says " oh, kank (thank) you mommy." He likes to ask me if he has nice manners all the time too. He hates the sun in his eyes, loud noises(the blender), Ivy crying too much, having his hair washed. He is still very sensitive. He loves structure and knowing the schedule for the day. After a timeout, he comes to find me with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes and says " Im so sorry." It makes me want to cry too! He still refuses to potty train. He loves trains, Precious(my mom), singing, snuggling, playing chase & wrestling, cookies, chocolate milk. He has become such a better eater lately and usually eats whatever we eat for dinner. Im loving this! He likes to recite lines from movies and tv shows. He likes to make up words. Daddy reads to him every night and recently he loves Dr. Suess books and recites lines from the books all day. He is so wonderful and I just love watching him learn and grow. Im a proud mommy.


Me: Wade, lets see your new smile.
Wade: Let me fink(think) about it.
















Wait for it....















There it is! This is the only smile I can get from him these days. Cute.

Today's ramblings...

Today I took both Ivy and Wade to the doctor. Thankfully just Ivy had an appointment. I have been prepping Wade for two days about how he had to be my helper at the doctor. I told him that the doctor would not touch him, so he wasn't too concerned. I prepared myself to have two screaming babies leaving the doctor's office.

The nurse called us back and as we were walking to our room, a patient door opened and out came two cute little boys, followed by an adorable messy haired toddler girl, followed by a very pregnant momma pushing a baby in a stroller! I thought, "I only have 2, this is going to be easy." And much to my surprise, Wade did GREAT. He did not cry or whine once. He sat in a chair and ate goldfish. He was very curious about what the doctor was doing to Ivy. He watched very closely and asked lots of questions. He was sure to tell the doctor not to touch him and to show her the toys he had brought.

Ivy did great too even though she had to get her 2 month shots! I hate shots. I hate it when my babies get shots. Hate it. I had to hold back my tears because I did not want Wade to see me upset and get upset himself. After Ivy got her shots she held her breath for FOREVER. She gave the open mouth, silent, red faced scream. It really scared the nurse. Im glad I didnt know to be scared. When she finally let out a real scream the nurse looked so relieved and said she didnt know any babies that could hold their breath that long.

At 9 weeks, Ivy weighs 11lbs 5 oz.(75%) and is 23 1/4 inches long(90%). She is a growing, healthy girl!

Wade did negotiate a trip to toys r us after the doctors office. And we decided to leave his pacifiers(we call them B's) there in exchange for a toy. I have a feeling it is going to be a long night without his B! He only has it during naps and at night and it has been this way for at least 6 months, but I know he is too old to have it at all. I have been so hesitant to get rid of them for good because Im always guaranteed a good nights sleep when he has his B. We will see how this goes!

Ivy - 6 weeks

Ivy had her one month check-up last week(she was actually 5 weeks). She weighed 9 lbs 11oz. and was 22 3/4 in. long. She is still the sweetest, easiest baby. It seems like she sleeps all the time. She loves to sleep in our bed and watch the fan. She goes crazy over it, smiling, squealing and kicking at it. She loves her bath also and just kicks around the whole time. It looks like a workout. She grabs at everything; my necklace, clothes and has grabbed my loose neck skin quite a few times :) She also hits at something when she wants it, she hits her binky when it falls out of her mouth and hits me when she is ready to nurse. She loves to have her hair petted. It is really sweet she just closes her eyes and falls asleep every time someone pets her head. She is such a good snuggler too(is snuggler a word?).

Ivy spits up all the time! Wade did this too. We both change outfits about 5 times a day. Sometimes it seems like she spits up everything she has eaten, but she is gaining weight so Im not too worried. After she eats I burp her really well, then keep her upright for at least 30 minutes and she usually still spits up. I hate it when it comes out of her nose, Im sure it doesnt feel good. The doctor didnt seem concerned about it, but I just want her to be comfortable. Wade always asks, "is she going to spit up on me?", " is she going to spit up on my toys?", "why is she spitting up?"

Wade was driving cars all over Ivy a few days ago and stopped and looked at her and said " she is so beautiful." I thought it was so funny / sweet. I guess he has heard other people saying that. I think he is warming up to her because he seems concerned whenever she cries and asks what we should do to make her feel better(most of the time). I caught him talking to her a few days ago. He was asking her if she liked Lightening McQueen and Sally(characters from the movie Cars). Then he told me that Ivy smiled at him. Today he held Ivy for the first time, he just laughed and said she was so wiggly. He even gave her a kiss! Wade takes a long time to get used to change. I think he is going to be a great big brother.

Potty TRAINING

We need some help potty training. Wade seems to understand the whole process, but is refusing to use the potty. The pull-ups now have a picture on the front and when they are wet the picture disappears - as Wade explains in the video below. Maybe he just isnt ready?

He thinks potty training has something to do with trains. I did make the mistake of giving him a train the first time he went to the potty. Im sure that added to the confusion.

Off to find some literature about potty training boys.

Wade and Ivy as newborns

They look so much alike to me as newborns, especially when they are asleep. See if you can guess which is Wade and which is Ivy (I guess their clothes kind of gives it away).
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1.Ivy
2.Wade
3.Ivy
4.Wade
5.Wade
6.Ivy

It has been a while...

After an almost 9 month hiatus from blogging, we are back! We have had a lot happen in the past 9 months including getting settled back in our house from the tree fall (we lived with Michael's parents for 7 months!), car wreck, new car, kitchen fire(no one was hurt!), new jobs, and having a baby girl...just to name a few.

Wade has grown up and changed so much since my last post! Im sad that I havent been posting stories about him over the past months to look back on in the future. He loves to sing, dance, climb, jump off things, play chase, hide-and-seek, build forts, color, and go to Toys-R-Us. It is so funny to watch him try to sing! He called my mom on her birthday and sang happy birthday to her, it was so cute! He loves to sing the ABC's too.

He loves Thomas the train, Cars(Lightening McQueen!), and Toy story. He recites lines from Cars, the movie, all day long. Sometimes at night after we have put him to sleep I can hear him in his room saying " oohhhh no! lightening mcqueen is in a heap of trouble! he has messed up the road and must repair it." I hope some of you have seen the movie so you know what I am talking about : )

Wade is such a sweet, sensitive, confident boy. He gets sad if he thinks Im sad/mad and asks me about 20 times everyday if I am sad or happy. My answer always has to be that I am happy or he will lose it! Only one time I have told him that I am mad(he deliberately disobeyed me) and he cried and cried and cried. So now I preface my answer with "Im happy, but it makes me sad when......" We are working on discipline and manners now. At the beginning of this year we realized he was running the show and it should be the other way around....Im sure we will be working on this until we send him off to college. He is really a good listener and well behaved though! Im so proud of him.

He finished his first year in "school" and loved it. It was so good for him to be around other kids his age. He knew all of his letters before starting school, but learned their sounds in school. He took his blanket to school everyday until the last week of school when he told his teacher that he didnt need it anymore.

This summer he has been going to summer camp at his school. This week is pirate week and he came out to the car today wearing a pirate hat he had made saying "arrrggggg." Then told me he wanted to look for some treasures. Im starting to get sad that he wont be returning there in the fall. Im sure he will love his new preschool though!

Wade refuses to potty train! I have tried everything. I put him in underwear for an afternoon and he just held it then started crying and begging for his diapers back. He wont even sit on the potty anymore. I have taught him to change his own diaper though and he is happy to do it.

He doesnt really pay much attention to Ivy. Sometimes he will pat her on the head or hold her hand, but most of the time he acts like she isnt even there. Once he asked me if I could put her back in my belly. Im sure once he gets a little more active he will be more interested.

I love this little guy.... below are a few recent pics.

The Beach




















































































Cashiers