Too Quiet

Here I am again.... so very far behind. Amazing day at the zoo - no blog
Nolan turned one - no blog
Nolan walking - no blog
Nolan got his first doctor worthy injury - no blog
Sea World - no blog
Beach trip- no blog

It's bad. I don't even know where to start so I am starting with a sweet simple moment from yesterday that I just don't want to forget.

Every day as I start to prepare dinner I have little feet dancing around mine.  G's are usually dangling from the counter, while he helps me chop and mix. Nolan is typically trying to get into the drawers in the refrigerator as soon as it opens. 
*G used to do that too.  I am constantly finding produce with tiny little bites taken out. *
But yesterday they were playing together in and out of the kitchen, joining me for brief bits then taking off to play again.  I was enjoying the sweet sounds of brothers playing nicely when I noticed things had been a little too quiet.  Which always means they are into something, right?

I headed down the hallway to find this...

Those little theives had snatched apples from the drawer and were camped out snacking in Nolan's room.  They were both just chomping away quietly enjoying their self made afternoon snack. I couldn't stop laughing thinking that this was the first little bit of them getting into stuff together.  They are starting out so innocently sneaking apples.  Let's hope it stays that way!

And just because here are a few of my favorire pictures from the week...

Never wearing pants.

 Sharing snacks.

What'd you say?

Our little G is a constant crack up in the quote department...

Sometimes they are super sweet like when talking about Jesus dying on the cross and the spear being dug into his side his first response was "Can we fix Jesus?".  So sweet and perfect segway into how Jesus was "fixed" by God.

Or
when describing a friend he couldn't find on the playground to someone helping him find her his description was "she looks like a princess".

or
when sadly leaving a party he told us "I think the house is sad because everyone had to leave it.".

or
when talking about his favorite part of that same party and exhausting all of the people that he could remembers favortie parts he started with "What was the trees favorite part? What was the houses favorite part?"

Sometimes they are boyish like "I was just tooting in my room.".

or
after seeing a motorcycle sped by and talking about the drivers poor choice he put up his fist and proclaimed "I'm going to get him with my hammer."

Sometimes they are just plain silly like when he accidentally put on his brothers pj's and thought it was so funny because "They are making me walk like a penguin."

Sometimes they just crack me up because of his perspective.
Mom to G - "I just love your little booty." (That little undie booty is so cute)
G to Mom - "I love your bigger booty."

or
"Mom, I need to take a bath so I can wash my hands."

or
"Mommy can you sing with your mouth closed."

I am trying to keep up with all of his wise cracks and the things that make us smile or in some cases keeping us rolling just thinking about them for days.  There is no doubt he fills my heart with joy!

8, 9, 10, 11 {Smushed}

Here it is... monthly update 8, 9, 10 and 11.  Smushed together in honor of our not-so-little-anymore Smush.

At 8 months he took off crawling.  One New Years Day morning to be exact.  I set him down on the floor to play and he took off like he knew exactly what he was doing and had just been waiting for that moment.  He definitely had his own style crawl.  Most of the time leaving one leg bent and using the other to push repeatedly.  He still does this even 3 months later.



For over a month now Smush has been standing.  He gets so busy emptying drawers or playing with a toy that he doesn't even realize that he has completely let go of all supports.  He can stand for quite sometime before he decides he better move on to the next thing and plops himself down to crawl away.  I am hoping that all of this balance will lead to a steady walker when he learns to take those first steps.  Which I am sure are not to far off.

Those thighs are amazing!  Built like a tree, this boy!

These months have been full of fun tricks like waving bye-bye, clapping, giving kisses and dancing.  Watching him learn and delight in these new abilities is such a joy.  Seeing him (and his brother) figure things out and experience new things really sets my heart on fire. Watching him learn to crawl onto the fireplace and constantly redirecting him is quite the opposite. 


We have watched new teeth erupt and spent many hours in the doctor's office. Since November we have had RSV, ear infections x 3, sinus infection and a really long stint of intestinal issues.  We will be spending even more time in the doctor's office this week when we visit the ENT for an evaluation of those ears. (I wrote this weeks ago.  He actually got tubes today and is already at home playing like his normal self.)

Food.  Oh! We have come so far with the food.  My little Smush who took ages to take a bottle now squeals and grunts in anticipation when he sees a bottle being made.  The same little guy who wouldn't take purees for weeks now devours most every meal (unless he's sick).  His absolute favorite food is blueberries.  When he sees the container it is pure excitement until one hits his lips.  I can't get them to him fast enough.

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

(Insert Picture I haven't even take yet here)

One of the best things about these past few months has been watching the relationship between brothers develop.  It has been tough since Smush began to crawl.  There have been more battles and more lessons about sharing learned (on the older end) but there has also been immeasurable joy.  Nolan, you think your brother is hilarious and laugh at him constantly.  Good thing is your brother thinks he's a comedian and LOVES to get you laughing.  The funny thing is I have had multiple people tell me they think Smush is going to be the family ham.  I can't even imagine what we are in for if you are sillier than your brother.  Lots of laughs ahead!  Here he is putting on his Back Seat Comedy Routine "Smelly Feet". 

Since getting new car seats (yes, Nolan already outgrew his first one) the two of you love to hold hands and reach for each other in the car.  My heart melts every time!

Sweet Smush your first birthday is just around the corner.  This year has flown by in the most crazy, happiest of all times kinda way.  You fill my heart with such solid joy.

Today

Oh Blog!  We meet again and I am still so far behind.  Life keeps going whether I report to you or not. Sickness has taken over our little home again but today the boys seem to be on the mend.  

Today we played.

Today brothers were sweet.


I find myself without the energy or drive to blog these days, but I don't want to forget today.
Today, G asked me if he could catch the stars.  Not asking if it was possible, but just asking for permission.  Of course, sweet boy, the stars are yours for the taking!
Until we meet again, I will be trying to soak up all the todays that seem to come and go so swiftly. 

G v 2.5

Our big man is now officially 2 and a half. He has reached the point where the changes seem to have slowed down until I look back 6 months and realize that he is still changing at lightening speed. 

G,
At 2 and a half you have stopped growing out but just continue growning up.  Stacking on what looks to be about 2 inches since your birthday.  Those faint baby fat rolls are quickly disappearing.  This is hard on mommy's heart.  Once that last little knuckle dimple and tiny thigh roll are gone you will officially be a big boy.  Although, you sure think you are already. 

At 2 and a half you are still constantly shocking me with your smarts.  Your new favorite hobby is puzzles.  Your very favorite are the 12 piecers, but we will probably break out the 24 piece one that we got you this week.  You need no assistance and will do them over and over again.  Daddy likes to time you because you are so quick.  It only takes you about 3 minutes to snap one together. You soak up information like a sponge and have even started speaking a little spanish.  


At 2 and a half you roar almost as much as you talk.  You LOVE to roar.  You answer the door with roars, greet me from nap with roars and our dinner conversation has turned to almost complete roaring.  Most of the time you are a dinosaur but other times you will be a roaring bear or lion. When you are not roaring you are still pretending.  Sometimes I hear you call from the other room and rushin only to find that one of your toys is actually calling for their mom.

At 2 and a half you are still a pretty good eater.  You can be finicky and will love something one day and won't touch it the next but overall you still love to eat.  Lately you are more inclined to skip a meal all together because you would rather be playing than stuck at the table.  You are learning to asked to be excused but most often you ask as you are running out of the kitchen already. You have a deep and profound love for chocolate.  Daddy has instilled it in you.  You also love cheese, but that come from me. 



At 2 and a half you are challenging.  You are all about testing your limits with mom and dad and trying to find slivers of control.  This seems to come in waves too.  Most days are lovely, you are cracking me up and being sweet with your brother and on the more rare days you spend lots of time in the corner.    

At 2 and a half you are half naked.  There is something about you and pants. Not sure why but you would rather be running around in your underwear all day than have clothes on.  Most mornings getting dressed is a battle.  You would be happy to roam your classroom, the library, grocery store or the neighborhood in your undies.  Sometimes you get away with the neighborhood...   

At 2 and a half you really love trucks (you can name tons of different kinds), animals (particularly dinosaurs), play dough, and books.  You still absolutely love to read.  You already have down the phonics for most of the alphabet and make mention of letters every where we go.

At 2 and a half your parents adore you like crazy.  We always have.  We always will. 

We're Back!

We are here.  This blog has not been abandoned forever. 

Where to start... The holidays?  That seems overwhelming. Smush hitting the 8 month mark?  Now he's closer to 9.  Really, just a few days away.  Crawling?  Oh, yea.  That happened. Maybe that's why I haven't blogged.  Nah... G hitting 2 and 1/2.  That post is definitely coming. 

So just to get the blog rolling...  A tiny holiday recap.



It was amazing.  It was busy.  Really busy.  We took naps in the car between stops.  We played games, loved on family and ate lots of delicious sweets.  Nolan ate wrapping paper.  G loved looking at Christmas lights, reading Christmas stories, opening gifts and drinking hot chocolate. G thought Jesus' mom's name was Mary Christmas.  So sweet! 

New Years Eve.  It was low key.  We went to church and then had a party of four.  We bought a party pack for 75% off at the grocery store on the way home.  We made salad, steaks, and mac and cheese.  We blew horns, wore silly hats and I sang Auld Lang Syne (which Matt claimed he had never heard).  We FaceTimed with friends who were doing the same thing at their houses.  I cherish that night.

Life has been moving at a crazy fast pace.  We are always jetting from one place to the next between friends and family.  Laundry is constantly piled and the dish washer always humming along.  The blog sitting dormant for a month... or more.   I don't always operate well at this kind of pace.  I do know that the reason for this pace is that we have an amazing group of friends and sweet family that we are surrounded by.  So much so that even though this pace is fast there are still some that I am sad I don't get to see more. 

There are no signs of stopping so hopefully this isn't the only post for another month.  I have so much more I want to share but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath.

Seven

7. Seven. Closer to 1 than birth.  7. Yes, I am still letting it sink in. Smush is now 7 months old.


Seven Months Feels Wiggly and Frustrating

Smush is trying so hard to be mobile. He is starting to see things that he wants then try his hardest to get to them.  This often finds him in all kinds of funny positions and sometime frustrated when he can't get out of them.  His body is quickly catching up to his mind and I have a feeling he will be crawling and successfully pulling up to standing in no time.



Seven Months Sounds Joyful
Nolan is babbling all the time. He has recently turned it up a notch from the dadadas to mamamas, nananas and even some bababas. He loves to laugh and giggle and we love it when he gets so excited that he just goes silent.  Sure smiles and giggles come from his big brother running around him, kisses on his cheeks and getting ice from the ice maker.  I know the last one is kinda weird but he loves it every time.

Seven Months Smells like Antibiotics

This last month has been a rough one on him. He started it out with an ear infection at his 6 month well check. I had seen a few signs so I wasn't suprized in the least bit. After one round of antibiotics the ear infection was still winning. On to round two of antibiotics. This time the antibiotics won! But after a few short days off all antibiotics a cough and mega congestion set in. When the wheezing started it was back to the doctor. This time RSV. So now he is doing breathing treatments and some more meds. The good news is through ALL that yuck our little Smush has remained in super sweet spirits. He had one really crummy I just want to sleep on momma all the time day, but after that it was back to playing. If he didn't have such an awful cough and constant stream of snot you'd never know he was sick.


Seven Months Tastes like Plastic or Wood or whatever else he can get those two little teeth on. EVERYTHING is in the mouth these days. Of course, most of the things he gets are designed for that kind of abuse.
His first tooth broke through right at Halloween and then he popped another one for Thanksgiving.  Maybe we will get a Christmas tooth too? Speaking of Thanksgiving, isn't he a cute lil turkey?

It also finally tastes like food! After weeks upon weeks of offering food everyday Nolan finally decided to give it a try. Once he opened his mouth he loved eveything he tried. Then came the sickness and now meals are a little hit and miss. In true Nolan fashion though he still loves his milks. Although, we have had more success this month with formula when mommy must be away.  He is still a big fan of whole foods like bananas, apples, sweet potato and eating through his strainer thing-a-ma-jig. 

Seven Months Looks Smushy 

You knew I was going to say that at some point, right? My littest man is one handsome Smush. His blondish brown hair is maxing out on the fluff. His dimple just gets deeper and his eyes are still an intoxicating blue. He is almost up to 20 pounds and I still haven't asked the doctor about his 6 months height. Oh well, we have yet another follow up appointment on Friday, so maybe I will remember to ask then.