January 29, 2013

Happy Half Birthday, sweet child!

I say it way too often, but seriously, why are my kids growing up so darn fast?? The little one (as we refer to him at home...Keagan is obviously "the big one") is already 6 months old. I haven't had time to breathe, my sleep has been hit and miss, and there has been no routine over the last 6 months. Not to mention that I am still totin' around some extra baby weight. You'd think that chasing after two little ones would help nix that extra "love" from my butt and belly, but nope. And I can't use the excuse "I just had a baby" anymore...for my weight, my lack of routine, or my utter scatter-brained nature. Oh well! Despite not knowing where the last 6 months of my life have gone, I have to say I don't remember what life was like prior to having Finley.
 
This kid is a trip! The past month has been extremely eventful. Finn has turned a drastic corner and, as Josh likes to say, is now a pretty good egg. He is loads of fun and has a lot of spunk and personality. He isn't as difficult and we are all starting to "get" each other. His personality is truly starting to blossom. He loves loves loves his brother, and his brother's toys. And will get mad if he doesn't get to hold one of Keagan's trains. This, in turn, has been tough on Keagan (no 2 year old likes to share, Keagan is no exception) and we have had many lessons on sharing. But I laugh to myself because Finn isn't mobile yet...oh but when he is things are going to get interesting! Finn has quite the voice, too. He is loud, whether he is happy or mad. He squeals with delight and screams when he doesn't get his way. Despite his spunk, he is sensitive and gets his feelings hurt...and when this happens the bottom lip pops out and the tears spray. He can turn it on thick. And he also can turn on the charm...enter the slow, flirty blink. He had three women swooning in the elevator today when we were on our way to his check-up. It was hilarious. It didn't help that his shirt said Heart Breaker on it!
 
From a mobility stand-point, Finn is rolling belly to back. He pretty much will not stay on his tummy. I think he could roll back to belly, but hates his belly so much that he has no desire to go there. He loves his feet and will play with them while on his back. He reaches for anything and everything when you are holding him or if he's sitting in the bumbo seat...he is pretty good with symmetrical, hands-to-midline movements and then hands to mouth (with object). He tripod sits well and is starting to sit unsupported, but he topples so I am right there to catch him. He loves to stand and bounce...and will even sort-of hold on to the couch or your hands and just stand. I am scared he's gonna be walking before he is a year. Yes, I said I am scared.
 
We have had an interesting last month: Finn has pretty much been sick all of January...he had RSV which developed into a double ear infection (just found this out today at his 6 month check up...he is now on antibiotics), had conjunctivitis in one of his eyes, and he continues to cough (occasionally vomiting from the cough). He started on cereal a couple weeks ago and LOVED it. I then moved him to applesauce and he doesn't so much love this. I plan on making him peas and we will try that next. I don't have much hope for the peas if the applesauce was a bust! But we will be persistent. We have also lost a TON of sleep this last month (I don't know if "ton" is the right adjective to describe lost sleep...but you get my drift). Finn is still a very inconsistent sleeper. I am starting to "get used" to this...but a couple weeks ago he was waking every 2 hours or so. Seriously, waking 3-4 times a night. More than a newborn. I was walking around with blood shot eyes and just felt myself getting sick and down. Enter cereal...and he slept a full 12 hours two nights in a row. YAY! But then back to waking 1-2 times a night. Here recently it has for the most part just been once. But he rarely sleeps all night. His doc said this could be from the ear infections...let's all just pray the antibiotics work their magic!
 
OK, now some stats:
weight: 18#14oz (50-75th%)
height: 27.75 inches (85-95th%)
head circumference: 43.5cm (50-75th%)
 
Sweet baby flirting with his momma and the camera
 
Supposed to be sleeping but would not go to sleep. So he got some daddy time. Little stinker. He knows he's a stinker, too...check out that face!

 First big boy bath with his brother! Keagan LOVED this and ate it up. I didn't love it b/c Finn didn't fit the seat too well...and kept sliding down in the seat, smooshing his little bits and pieces on the plastic between his legs. That couldn't be comfortable...will try again later.

First solids. Check out the ear grabbing. I should have known he had an ear infection (and I suspected it when he was diagnosed with RSV...but they weren't infected then!)
 
Six-Month sticker pics. He really doesn't feel well here...you can see it. His little right eye has conjunctivitis and he has infected ears. He is just pitiful.
Love from brother! Finley LOVES to grab his brother's hair...Keagan gets so upset! But poor Finn, he just doesn't have much of his own!!

This face cracks me up. This is a typical face...it is just funny here because he has a bum-eye and this is frozen in time. He is squeeling as he is rolling over. I laughed because this is typical Finley...gotta narrate (loudly) as he performs!
 
Finally, here is a video of the fun he has in his duckie bathtub. I apologize for not covering his bits...I honestly didn't think a thing about it as he was kicking. I was trying to keep him from a.) drowning, and b.)  falling out of the duck tub


January 27, 2013

I only thought I was done..

And then I ran across these picture of my boys. Taken at their daycare right before Thanksgiving. I had planned to use them in our Christmas cards but didn't get the CD back in time. So in the shuffle of Christmas and travel, the CD with these sweet pictures got shuffled away. SO here is my final Christmas posting (I sure hope!) ... last but most certainly not least! Aren't they the sweetest babies ever?! I love how much both of them are smiling... There were 16 pictures total and it was so tough to narrow down to the 4 I wanted on the CD (they really rip you off price-wise...). Finley is 4 months (his first school pictures!) and Keagan is 2 years and 5 months.
 OK....enough Christmas...moving on!!! C'mon Spring! :)

January 19, 2013

Potty Mouth???

When Keagan was 20 months old I got the not-so-brilliant idea to try potty training. I reaaaaallllly thought it would work and that way I wouldn't have two in diapers. HA! Obviously, that idea had to be tabled as he was just not ready. Fast-forward to this summer. Keagan started to use the potty-language (not to be confused with potty-mouth...as with adults)...and started hiding when he had to poop. OH I should make my disclaimer now:
 
>>>If you are offended by potty-talk (i.e. poop, pee, a kid running around in his skivies...) then you should just wait for the next blog post.<<<
 
OK, so back to what I was saying. He started to recognize that he was having these bodily functions. I decided to strike while the iron was hot. Once we moved him to a new daycare (actually back to the original one he was at as an infant) his new teacher was letting him try pottying with his friends. The ball started rolling. One day I let him sit on the potty. He sat and sat and sat and sat and Oh My Gosh he sat for forever. Finally he peed. It was a brilliant day! We squealed and laughed and did happy dances! And he literally got it. We practiced in undies whenever we were home (diaper for public) and set up a pretty sweet reward system (m&ms for pees and Thomas Trains for poops). The poops (obviously) didn't come so easy. Once he got that (with us actually timing him and putting him on the potty ourselves), we decided to up the ante and make a reward for if he actually told us he had to go then went! And so he did this. He was chomping at the bit to make this happen and was actually making it easy on us! All the while we had in the back of our minds that we would be traveling (i.e. driving 12+ hours) to Texas for Christmas and what a kink that could/would put in our potty training efforts. So, we didn't make any big moves until we returned. [However, while on the drive down, Keagan did tell us he had to go potty twice and so we stopped. Twice he was dry and peed on the potty at a gas station.]
When we returned, I took a practice weekend in underwear...he had no accidents. Monday I sent him to school in undies. He has since had two full weeks in underwear. One accident only. And has even managed to stay dry during most naps! (we still diaper him for naps and night-time...but that will come) The most hilarious thing in all of this is that he has started to demand his privacy. I don't have any privacy when I am in the bathroom so I never imagined he would ask this of us. But we have learned that when he says "Go check on Oscar/Finn/Daddy/Momma" he has to poop. He wants us to leave so he can do his business...and 99% of the time he does!
Needless to say, we are incredibly proud of our little boy. I had hoped this would happen before he turned 3, but after the first too-early attempt I became realistic to the timing and knew it could be later. We still have lots of work ahead of us (naps and night time) but I am proud of Keagan and can't believe that we are on the brink of only having one in diapers!!
 
Here are some pictures of the events: He is gonna hate me for these pics one day. And I will for sure share them with his girlfriends. But I love his little underwear-clad bottom so much that I couldn't help but share. And, because he is obsessed with Thomas the Train Engine his underwear are Thomas imprinted. And his little bum is adorable in them!
 
Checking out what's going on...
The flush and "bye-bye"
Candy for a pee-pee!
"What do you say, Oscar? I'm in my big boy undies!"
After telling Mommy he had to go...then going Poopy!
No more diaper changes at school! And he earned a Thomas Train for a no-accident day!