Guess what? I'm not dead!

I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last posted.  It's not as though there hasn't been anything interesting going--on the contrary, there's almost too much interesting things happening that it's hard to process it all.  So I'll just break it down crazy bullet-point style and elaborate in more posts later this week and next.

• Charlie turned nine-months old in May and marked the occasion by learning how to crawl like a peg-legged pirate.

• You know how I said we were moving to Colorado this summer?  Well, we decided to be wild and crazy and bought a house.  I still can't really get over the fact that we will soon be calling this lovely place home in less than a month!

• Charlie turned ten-months old this month and marked the occasion by finally figuring out how to roll over from his back to his belly and vice versa.

• Sammy turned three this past Sunday.  THREE.  Where in the world did the time go?  Sammy's about 90% potty trained and a non-stop chatter box; some of his favorite things are pierogies, riding his bicycle, and dancing; he's even started his own version of break dancing.  Video to come soon--hopefully.

• And last but not least, I've taken the first steps towards opening a vintage shop online.  I won't have everything fully up and running until after we've settled into our new house in Colorado, but I've started a Facebook page for it so stop by and say hi! 

 

Stopping to smell the flowers in San Antonio

A few weeks ago, Sammy and Charlie's Auntie G emailed me to let me know that she and her husband were going to be journeying to San Antonio, Texas, to visit with some family.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to see the two of them, so we made arrangements to meet at the San Antonio Botanical Garden the weekend they were in Texas.

The boys and I tackled the eight-hour drive to San Antonio on our own (Captain Husband wasn't able to take the time off) last Saturday and checked into a hotel on the northwest side of town where we explored for a little bit before settling in for the night--it had been a long day in the car and we wanted to be well rested for our visit with Auntie G and Mr. P!

Sunday was a beautiful day to spend wandering through the gardens (although a little too humid for me--two years in El Paso has definitely ruined me in regards to humidity); all of the greenery and flowers were a welcome sight after the long drive the day before through the Texas desert.  Both of the boys really seemed to enjoy themselves and the extra attention that Auntie G and Mr. P lavished on them.

Before we knew it, it was time for the boys to take a nap, so we said our goodbyes and headed off on our separate ways.  I'm so glad we were able to meet up and visit, even if it was only for a little bit; hopefully we'll be able to get together again soon!

Charlie's eight-month update

I'm having a little bit of trouble coming to terms that my baby boy is now eight-months old; it seems like just yesterday he was this tiny little creature that I had brought home from the hospital.  But there's no doubt about it--Charlie is fast on track to becoming an independent *gasp* toddler.


Charlie is this close to crawling...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he figured it out by the end of this week.  He's very adept at going from a seated position onto his hands and knees and Charlie has also mastered the art of scooting along the floor on his bum.  It's slow going, but he doesn't seem to mind--Charlie's just so happy to be able to get to some of his favorite toys on his own.

Charlie has figured out how to use his two bottom teeth over the past month and loves to chew on steamed veggies like cucumber, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and sugar-snap peas.  He has nothing but disdain for being spoon fed, so I've started letting him finger feed himself and Charlie seems to really enjoy this new independence.

Stats: Charlie is currently wearing 18-24 month clothing and probably weighs around twenty-four pounds.  He's settled into a regular nap and bedtime routine and is generally sleeping through the night most of the time (when Sammy leaves him alone, that is).  Charlie is babbling a ton now and is beginning to copy the sounds and movements of others--he loves to blow raspberries whenever Sammy or Captain Husband do and shake his head back and forth in imitation and he's even started to wave.  And in other news, Charlie has mastered the fine art of clapping!

Wishing you a totally egg-cellent Easter!

Charlie's seven-month update

I'm a little behind on giving you the monthly update on Charlie, but better late than never, right?  Charlie is now the proud owner of two bottom teeth and he enjoys using them to chew on a wide variety of things, such as baby carrots, his fingers, and just about anything else he can stick in his mouth.  I'm still working on introducing him to solid foods--he appears to really enjoy sweet potatoes, peas, and applesauce, but was rather indifferent when it came to avocados; Charlie also appears to have a sensitivity to bananas of all things, so I'm going to wait a few more months before reintroducing those.

I decided to movie Charlie into Sammy's room when he turned seven-months old; I think the transition was made easier on both boys by having them take their afternoon naps together for a week and a half before making the big move to sharing a room overnight.  It appears that the only thing keeping Charlie from sleeping through the night was being in our bedroom--he's only woken up once in the night to nurse since we made the change, which means I've been getting a full night's sleep again.  Speaking of sleep, Charlie has turned into a napping champ over the past month.  He typically wakes up at 8 am and plays for about two hours and then naps from 10 am to 12:30 and then again in the afternoon from about 3 pm to 4:30; thanks to the time change, he's going to bed at 7:30, which means Charlie actually gets to see Captain Husband most evenings now.

Other stats: Currently wearing eighteen-month clothing.  Has started getting into the crawling position and rocking back and forth, but he still hasn't rolled over yet.  Loves being tossed into the air and having raspberries blown on his tummy.  Likes to get into yelling contests with his big brother.  Enjoys playing peekaboo and hearing me sing silly songs that feature his name and dancing to Beatles songs.  Absolutely adores bath time and has figured out how to scoot around on his bottom in the tub.  Thinks Sammy is hilarious and that Sandy Cat is his nap-time partner in crime.

Charlie's six-month update

I had every intention of posting this last week, but my laptop has gone and lost it's mind and has decided to take my external drive along with it.  I'm still trying to figure out just what is going on and will probably resort to taking it in to the geeks at Best Buy but after the debacle that was the last time I took my laptop there, it's probably going to be some time before I'm back and running at 100%. Anyway, Mr. Charlie now measures 27 1/2" long and weighs just over twenty pounds and is wearing 12-18 month clothing.  He has yet to roll over on his own but Charlie's so close--plus he's got a lot of weight to hoist around.  Still no teeth, but he's showing all of the classic signs of teething--copious drooling, chewing on his fingers, and sucking on his bottom lip.  I peeked inside his mouth and it looks like his bottom canines are the ones giving him trouble (and keeping us up at night); I might have a vampire baby on my hands.  Aside from the occasional teething woes, Charlie continues to be a ridiculously easy-going baby--as long as his belly is full and his bottom is dry, he's a happy camper.

As you can see, Charlie's totally sitting on his own now and loves to watch the antics of his older brother and Sandy Cat from this new vertical vantage point.  Tummy time continues to go well and Charlie's started to push and scoot himself around a little bit on his belly in order to get to toys just out of his reach.  He's also started babbling a bit more and making different syllable sounds, but nothing delights Charlie quite so much as blowing raspberries at anyone and everyone.  Charlie's agenda over the next few weeks is to tackle some more solid foods (he's sampled pears and bananas so far) and to make the transition to sleeping in his crib full time, which means sharing a room with Sammy; I've actually managed to get both boys to nap simultaneously in the same room so I'm hoping the transition won't be too painful.

And just for fun, here's a video I took of Charlie tickling the ivories for the first time:

Guard your hearts this Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

A status update from Sammy

I just realized that I am horribly overdue on telling you guys what's new lately with my favorite resident toddler.  Sammy is now a whopping two-and-a-half-years old and fully entrenched in the oh-so-aptly-named terrible twos.  There's no other way to describe it other than it's like living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--one minute, he's my sweet, polite and well-spoken little gentleman and the next he's screaming at the top of his lungs, throwing whatever he can get his hands on and bawling his eyes out.  Fortunately (ha!) Sammy saves most of his rotten behavior for the confines of our home, so at least I haven't really had to deal with a thrashing, yelling mess of a kid while out in public.  That sound you just heard was me frantically knocking on every wooden surface in my house.

Sammy's had another growth spurt recently and is at least 38" tall--all of his 4t pants fit him in length perfectly now and things that used to be out of his reach far back on the kitchen counter are now fair game.  He is also wearing size 10 1/2 shoes--there's no doubt that Sammy takes after me in that department.  Sammy is now the proud owner of a full set of teeth--all molars are present and accounted for.  Now if I could only get him to brush them on a regular basis.

This kid.  Never.  Stops.  Moving.  Seriously, it's like watching a whirling dervish.  He's also something of a chatter box--Sammy's now talking in full sentences and slowly dropping the whole third-person thing.  I still have to translate for him every now and then, but he's pretty easy to understand for the most part, but then again I get to spend every day with the kid so I might be a bit biased.  While there are days when he makes me want to rip my hair out in frustration, his positive attributes far outweigh the negative ones, especially when he's being sweet with Charlie--Sammy's definitely on the fast track to becoming the world's best big brother.

Charlie's five-month update

I am now the mother of a five-month old and a two-and-a-half-year old, people.  This realization pretty much blows my mind every day.  Anyway, on to Charlie's stats--he's basically a giant.  This kid is at least eighteen pounds, although I'd say he's probably closer to twenty about now; some of his twelve-month clothing is beginning to get a little tight.  Strangers typically do a double take when I tell them how old he is, expecting to hear that he's at least nine months old.  What can I say--I make big babies.

Charlie's settled into a pretty stable nap routine and takes a morning and afternoon nap every day; some days, I can even get him and Sammy to nap at the same time, and those days are pretty much awesome.  Charlie still hasn't fully rolled over but he's able to roll onto his side pretty easily and he's *this* close to sitting on his own.  He also loves to spend time in his Johnny Jump-Up and has begun to scoot around a bit in his walker.  As I was going through some of my recent photos of him, I noticed that Charlie has started to suck on his bottom lip a lot, which tells me he might have some teeth making an appearance soon (the fact that he's also turned into a drool factory bolsters my theory).

Charlie's still exclusively breastfed and doing pretty well in that department aside from being so easily distracted by anything and everything.  He's also very interested in what people are eating these days, although I think I'm going to hold off until the six-month mark to start introducing solid foods.  Now that he's kicked his double-ear infection, Charlie's back to his sweet, cheerful self and I'm back to some semblance of a full night's sleep.  And last but not least, Charlie just adores his big brother, and so far it appears to be a mutually shared affection; it makes me so happy to see the two of them loving on each other.

So I'm a little late...

Happy belated New Year!  And if you're thinking to yourself that, boy, the baby in this picture looks a lot like Sammy, it's because it is Sammy--from 2011.  I had been hoping to do something similar with Charlie for this year, but he was too busy being sick.

We spent a good chunk of time in the emergency room last Sunday thanks to Charlie having a fever just shy of 104, which is when I learned that the nasty head cold he had been fighting since right before Christmas had provided the perfect breeding ground for a nasty double ear infection.  Fortunately, the ER staff were able to bring his fever down and prescribe him some antibiotics to clear up things.

Charlie's fever returned with a vengeance the next day, but some infant Tylenol, a lukewarm bath, and one of those Be Koool gel sheets had him feeling better in no time.  He's got a few more days left of antibiotics to take (I'm beginning to think it's easier to pill a cat than it is to give an infant nasty-tasting medicine twice a day), but he's just about back to normal.  Unfortunately, this also means Charlie's back to waking up two to three times a night to nurse...oh well.  Can't win 'em all.

Feliz Navidad!

 

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

The Paper Mama 2012 Holiday Photo Challenge!

Here's my entry for this year's Holiday photo challenge hosted by the lovely Paper Mama: I had great plans of getting an adorable picture of the two boys in their matching Christmas jammies, but it's easier to herd cats than it is to get a two-and-a-half-year old and an infant to do much cooperation in the photo department.  And because I'm an inveterate procrastinator, this is probably the closest I'm going to get to actually sending out any Christmas cards this year.  Be sure to check out all of the other entries by clicking below!

Charlie's four-month update

It's official--my little boy is not so little anymore.  Charlie turned four-months old last Wednesday and had his four-month well-baby appointment the next day, which is when I learned that he was now topping the charts at seventeen pounds and twenty-six inches long placing him in the 95th and 90th percentiles, respectively.  I looked up Sammy's four-month stats to see how the two boys compared since I recalled Sammy was pretty big for his age.  Well, Sammy was two pounds lighter and an inch shorter.  Yowza.  Charlie seems to have skipped the 6-9 month sizes of clothing and jumped right up to twelve-month stuff. 

During the day, Charlie is a super laid-back and easy-going baby.  But nighttime is a completely different story ever since last week.  My formerly good sleeper is now getting up almost every 1-2 hours after I put him down for the night and I am completely frazzled/exhausted as a result.  I really, really, really hope that this is a short phase/developmental stage.  Speaking of development, Charlie has become a champion raspberry blower and also recently discovered that his thumbs fit perfectly inside his mouth.

Charlie's getting pretty close to being able to sit on his own, although I'm hesitant to let him try thanks to our complete and utter lack of carpeting to cushion his fall should he decide to face plant on the floor.  He's also been supporting his weight on his legs for about a month now and can stand while holding onto my fingers.  Charlie absolutely adores his big brother and watches everything that he does--fortunately, Sammy seems to be just as enamored with Charlie and goes out of his way to make him laugh by making silly noises (a new favorite of the two is fake sneezing).

My get up and go has got up and went

Wow, it's been awhile, huh?  It's not that I've been incredibly busy since my last blog post, although the boys and I did manage to travel a total of 6,000 miles over the course of sixteen days last month.  (Sammy and Charlie are excellent travelers by the way.)  We visited with family and spent some time with friends that I haven't seen in a year and the sad thing is that I didn't even come close to seeing everyone that I wanted to...I guess there's always next year, though.  As per usual, I took approximately a gazillion photos during our trip that I'm woefully behind on editing and uploading...the last time I added to my Flickr stream was in October.  Yeesh.

I remember when I couldn't wait to write about our adventures here on the blog but now it seems that there's just not enough hours in the day.  I can't even recall the last time I was able to visit everyone's blog and, I know this is going to sound nuts, but I miss you guys; I miss reading about all of the fun and exciting things you've been up to and looking at your lovely photographs and your creative crafts.  Who knew that taking care of the two boys' wants and needs, maintaining the house (or, rather, keeping it from descending to a Hoarders level of disarray) and finding a few minutes here or there to hang out with Captain Husband after the kids are down for the night would be so incredibly time consuming?  The things that I used to find so enjoyable, like photography, just seem like another chore that needs to be done.  Hopefully I'll break out of this rut soon--any advice?