Moo Moo

Brody is wearing his Moo Moo today! :) It’s such a cute little outfit. The feet are cows, and the back has a tail on it.

It’s amazing to see how much Brody has changed during the month of February. He went from a scrawny little newborn to a healthy and somewhat chubby infant. His legs are filling out more each week too. I’ve been hesitant to put some outfits on him, because I thought he would be swimming in them. This outfit was one example. But when I got it on him, it fit just fine. I suppose he’d better start wearing all of his 0-3 clothes, or else they won’t fit at all!

He started cooing which is fun. It’s nice to hear another noise come out of him besides a cry, burp or fart. It seems he will be smiling very soon. You can tell he’s trying to do something with his face, but he’s just not quite there yet. In the next week or two I think it will happen.

Brody has a raging case of baby acne. I hope it’s not a sign of his complexion to come! He’s also letting us see more of his personality. He gets very mad, very fast, and it sweet as pie once you give him what he wants. Hmmm, who does he get that from? I suppose I’d best admit he probably gets that from me. 

I hate to even say this part, for fear of jinxing us, but here goes - he slept through the night last night! WooHoo! Realistically I suspect it’s more of a one-time deal for now, but hey, we can always hope it’s here to stay, right?!

And in big brother news, I think this picture is worth a million words.

Not only does Dylan like to pull the cats’ tails, he also likes to pull Brody’s!

Dylan Picasso

One of Dylan’s birthday gifts was a big bag of art supplies - pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue sticks, foam letters, construction paper, and PAINT! I was very excited for him to get those things, because I’m trying really hard to limit the television viewing as much as possible. I let it slide for the first five weeks, but now that I have a better grip on life with two kids, it’s time to stimulate his little brain with many other activities.

This morning while Brody napped, Dylan and I had art time. It’s amazing to watch a two-year old play with something new. He figured out quickly that these little bottles painted on his paper, but because they aren’t traditional paint bottles, he had to do some investigating:

What do they look like?

What do they smell like?

What do they sound like?

What else can I do with them?

Moo Moo

Brody is wearing his Moo Moo today! :) It’s such a cute little outfit. The feet are cows, and the back has a tail on it.

It’s amazing to see how much Brody has changed during the month of February. He went from a scrawny little newborn to a healthy and somewhat chubby infant. His legs are filling out more each week too. I’ve been hesitant to put some outfits on him, because I thought he would be swimming in them. This outfit was one example. But when I got it on him, it fit just fine. I suppose he’d better start wearing all of his 0-3 clothes, or else they won’t fit at all!


He started cooing which is fun. It’s nice to hear another noise come out of him besides a cry, burp or fart. It seems he will be smiling very soon. You can tell he’s trying to do something with his face, but he’s just not quite there yet. In the next week or two I think it will happen.

Brody has a raging case of baby acne. I hope it’s not a sign of his complexion to come! He’s also letting us see more of his personality. He gets very mad, very fast, and it sweet as pie once you give him what he wants. Hmmm, who does he get that from? I suppose I’d best admit he probably gets that from me.

I hate to even say this part, for fear of jinxing us, but here goes - he slept through the night last night! WooHoo! Realistically I suspect it’s more of a one-time deal for now, but hey, we can always hope it’s here to stay, right?!
And in big brother news, I think this picture is worth a million words.

Not only does Dylan like to pull the cats’ tails, he also likes to pull Brody’s!

Dylan Picasso

One of Dylan’s birthday gifts was a big bag of art supplies - pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue sticks, foam letters, construction paper, and PAINT! I was very excited for him to get those things, because I’m trying really hard to limit the television viewing as much as possible. I let it slide for the first five weeks, but now that I have a better grip on life with two kids, it’s time to stimulate his little brain with many other activities.

This morning while Brody napped, Dylan and I had art time. It’s amazing to watch a two-year old play with something new. He figured out quickly that these little bottles painted on his paper, but because they aren’t traditional paint bottles, he had to do some investigating:

What do they look like?

What do they smell like?

What do they sound like?

What else can I do with them?

Do you know this about Dylan?

As time goes on, it’s easy to forget the little details about your kids at specific ages. Here are some things you might or might not know about Dylan at two years old:

1. He hates having his toes touched or toenails cut

2. Loves fruit, dislikes most vegetables

3. Is very polite - uses Please, Thank You and Bless You frequently

4. Rarely leaves his bedroom (in the morning or after nap) until we come to get him

5. Drags his blankies “Buggins” around the house. Today he is carrying around four of them.

6. Knows how to operate the TV and DVD, much to mommy and daddy’s dismay.

7. Has “coffee” every morning - half chocolate milk, half white.

8. Knows a naughty word, and pronounces it “Dame-it”

9. Has 3 step stools and moves them around the house to accommodate himself as needed.

10.  When he is finished with a meal he likes his table space to be clear of all things, and pushes his plate as far away from himself as possible.

11.  LOVES Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder and CARS.

12.  Frequently uses the phrases “It’s Mine” and “Mommy, don’t!”

Do you know this about Dylan?

As time goes on, it’s easy to forget the little details about your kids at specific ages. Here are some things you might or might not know about Dylan at two years old:


1. He hates having his toes touched or toenails cut
2. Loves fruit, dislikes most vegetables
3. Is very polite - uses Please, Thank You and Bless You frequently
4. Rarely leaves his bedroom (in the morning or after nap) until we come to get him
5. Drags his blankies “Buggins” around the house. Today he is carrying around four of them.
6. Knows how to operate the TV and DVD, much to mommy and daddy’s dismay.
7. Has “coffee” every morning - half chocolate milk, half white.
8. Knows a naughty word, and pronounces it “Dame-it”
9. Has 3 step stools and moves them around the house to accommodate himself as needed.
10. When he is finished with a meal he likes his table space to be clear of all things, and pushes his plate as far away from himself as possible.
11. LOVES Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder and CARS.
12. Frequently uses the phrases “It’s Mine” and “Mommy, don’t!”

Dylan's 2nd Birthday Party

This weekend we had Dylan’s party, and we had a lot of fun. He is such a lucky boy, and as a parent it truly is joyous to see your child having such a great time. Dylan received lots of cool new toys, clothes and books! It should be enough to keep him busy for a few days... :)

I made a Thomas the Train cake, and he loved it. 

Oma, Auntie Kelly and Great-Grandma Gen were all here for the weekend, and I couldn’t have done it without their help. Toward the end of the week I developed a cold, and just wanted to sleep (I mean even more than usual!). They did a ton of work, and I appreciated it so much. 

And it seems Dylan’s weekend would not be complete without some kind of injury. Before cake, ice cream and presents, Dylan was running around and tripped, and smacked his forehead right on the corner of a chair leg. He ended up with a giant, instant goose egg, and what looked like a straight line cut on his forehead, except there was no cut, no bleeding thankfully! Just a big owie. 

Dylan’s Grandma and Papa, Great Grandma and Grandpa Luther, and Great Aunt Donna and Great Uncle Kermit came over from Iowa, and Great Grandpa Wennerstrom and Great Uncle Gregg came from Minnesota - all just for the party! Wowsa, lucky kid. He’s got a lot of GREAT Great’s doesn’t he?! Our neighbors/friends the Greenland’s came over, and Noelle and her kids joined us as well. It was a very nice party for a two-year old!

Dylan's 2nd Birthday Party

This weekend we had Dylan’s party, and we had a lot of fun. He is such a lucky boy, and as a parent it truly is joyous to see your child having such a great time. Dylan received lots of cool new toys, clothes and books! It should be enough to keep him busy for a few days... :)

I made a Thomas the Train cake, and he loved it.

Oma, Auntie Kelly and Great-Grandma Gen were all here for the weekend, and I couldn’t have done it without their help. Toward the end of the week I developed a cold, and just wanted to sleep (I mean even more than usual!). They did a ton of work, and I appreciated it so much.

And it seems Dylan’s weekend would not be complete without some kind of injury. Before cake, ice cream and presents, Dylan was running around and tripped, and smacked his forehead right on the corner of a chair leg. He ended up with a giant, instant goose egg, and what looked like a straight line cut on his forehead, except there was no cut, no bleeding thankfully! Just a big owie.

Dylan’s Grandma and Papa, Great Grandma and Grandpa Luther, and Great Aunt Donna and Great Uncle Kermit came over from Iowa, and Great Grandpa Wennerstrom and Great Uncle Gregg came from Minnesota - all just for the party! Wowsa, lucky kid. He’s got a lot of GREAT Great’s doesn’t he?! Our neighbors/friends the Greenland’s came over, and Noelle and her kids joined us as well. It was a very nice party for a two-year old!

Brody is One Month old!

It’s been a very busy morning! I was up with Brody at 5 am (lest you think he slept through the night, this wasn’t the first time I was ‘up’). He went back to sleep around 5:45, or so I thought. He fussed some more, then at 5:59 he was down for the count. My alarm was set for 6:30, as we had Doctor’s appointments for both boys this morning. I decided I would be MORE tired if I went back to sleep for a half hour, so I just stayed awake. It actually was kind of pleasant, unloading the dishwasher in the quiet morning calm.

You may have heard me bemoaning our feeding situation with Brody. He never seemed satisfied on breast milk alone, so within two weeks we started supplementing with formula. Of course the more I supplemented, the less is demanded of my body, and my milk kept decreasing. I am now nursing him anywhere from 3-6 times a day, and the rest is formula. But how much formula to give a newborn? I had no idea, as Dylan was entirely breast fed during this period of life. It seemed no matter how much we gave Brody, it wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t often enough. He wants to eat every two hours, even on formula. It’s been rather stressful around here lately, as we’ve been trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with our baby, why is he always so hungry. Is the mechanism in his brain that tells him he’s full, broken? I asked Dr. Baptist this morning, and when I told him Brody was eating four ounces sometimes as often as every two hours, his response was this: “You have an expensive baby. He’s a hungry hippo, no wonder your body couldn’t keep up.”  It was reassuring to hear that we’re not overfeeding him, and it’s okay to feed him formula that often if he demands it. Hopefully this will end a lot of the tears in our house, both Brody’s and mine.

And to prove just how HUNGRY Brody has been, in just one month he has gained over TWO POUNDS!! He was 6 lbs, 11 oz at birth. He was down to 6 lbs, 2 oz at 3 days old, and currently weights 8 lbs, 7 oz!!! He’s also grown 2 inches, and is now 20  1/4 inches long. Grow baby!

Here’s a picture of him with his band-aid covering his owie from the Doctor’s office:

Birthday Boy

Dylan is two today! The last two years have gone by so fast. It’s amazing how much a child changes in that short amount of time. Dylan is such a smarty, it’s really fun to see what each new day will bring, and what new words he will say or new clever idea he’ll come up with. He makes me laugh a lot!

Dylan had his two-year check-up at the Doctor’s office this morning. He weighs 30 lbs, 4 oz, and stands 34” tall. And he sure is cute!

After his check-up, we went to his Valentine’s party at daycare. Noelle had such a nice little party for the kids. They made some pockets to store their valentine’s, and had a yummy snack, then decorated cookies. Dylan didn’t want to decorate his, he wanted to eat them! All the other kids decorated though, and they made some lovely little cookies! Afterwards, the kids all traded Valentine’s with each other. Here is a picture of the cookie decorating:

It’s been a very busy morning! I was up with Brody at 5 am (lest you think he slept through the night, this wasn’t the first time I was ‘up’). He went back to sleep around 5:45, or so I thought. He fussed some more, then at 5:59 he was down for the count. My alarm was set for 6:30, as we had Doctor’s appointments for both boys this morning. I decided I would be MORE tired if I went back to sleep for a half hour, so I just stayed awake. It actually was kind of pleasant, unloading the dishwasher in the quiet morning calm.

You may have heard me bemoaning our feeding situation with Brody. He never seemed satisfied on breast milk alone, so within two weeks we started supplementing with formula. Of course the more I supplemented, the less is demanded of my body, and my milk kept decreasing. I am now nursing him anywhere from 3-6 times a day, and the rest is formula. But how much formula to give a newborn? I had no idea, as Dylan was entirely breast fed during this period of life. It seemed no matter how much we gave Brody, it wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t often enough. He wants to eat every two hours, even on formula. It’s been rather stressful around here lately, as we’ve been trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with our baby, why is he always so hungry. Is the mechanism in his brain that tells him he’s full, broken? I asked Dr. Baptist this morning, and when I told him Brody was eating four ounces sometimes as often as every two hours, his response was this: “You have an expensive baby. He’s a hungry hippo, no wonder your body couldn’t keep up.” It was reassuring to hear that we’re not overfeeding him, and it’s okay to feed him formula that often if he demands it. Hopefully this will end a lot of the tears in our house, both Brody’s and mine.

And to prove just how HUNGRY Brody has been, in just one month he has gained over TWO POUNDS!! He was 6 lbs, 11 oz at birth. He was down to 6 lbs, 2 oz at 3 days old, and currently weights 8 lbs, 7 oz!!! He’s also grown 2 inches, and is now 20 1/4 inches long. Grow baby!

Here’s a picture of him with his band-aid covering his owie from the Doctor’s office:

Birthday Boy

Dylan is two today! The last two years have gone by so fast. It’s amazing how much a child changes in that short amount of time. Dylan is such a smarty, it’s really fun to see what each new day will bring, and what new words he will say or new clever idea he’ll come up with. He makes me laugh a lot!

Dylan had his two-year check-up at the Doctor’s office this morning. He weighs 30 lbs, 4 oz, and stands 34” tall. And he sure is cute!

After his check-up, we went to his Valentine’s party at daycare. Noelle had such a nice little party for the kids. They made some pockets to store their valentine’s, and had a yummy snack, then decorated cookies. Dylan didn’t want to decorate his, he wanted to eat them! All the other kids decorated though, and they made some lovely little cookies! Afterwards, the kids all traded Valentine’s with each other. Here is a picture of the cookie decorating:

Dylan's Birthday celebration begins

Dylan’s 2nd birthday celebration has begun! Whether it’s Christmas or Birthday’s, I’m beginning to realize we’ll be celebrating each holiday multiple times due to living away from our families.

This weekend Papa Gordy and Vava came for a visit, along with Uncle Matt and his friend Jess. We had a very nice dinner last night, followed by Birthday Brownies and presents. Here are a few pictures.

Papa Gordy and Vava gave Dylan some nice gifts, including a Thomas DVD Halloween collection, a ‘haunted’ caboose, and some Thomas stickers. Dylan peeled all the stickers off and put them all over his shirt (which you’ll notice is also Thomas).

 

They also contributed to Dylan’s new Britax Marathon car seat (I got it on sale and free shipping I might add - yahoo!!). My dad and Vava have a tradition of sorts, of giving us gifts that allow our kids to be stylish and safe while in the car and on the go. Before Dylan was born they bought us the car seat and stroller travel system, then they bought us our double stroller and now helped with the purchase of the Marathon. It is very much appreciated!

Finally, here is a picture of Papa Gordy holding Brody. He’s passed out cold. I mean Brody :)

Dylan's Birthday celebration begins

Dylan’s 2nd birthday celebration has begun! Whether it’s Christmas or Birthday’s, I’m beginning to realize we’ll be celebrating each holiday multiple times due to living away from our families.

This weekend Papa Gordy and Vava came for a visit, along with Uncle Matt and his friend Jess. We had a very nice dinner last night, followed by Birthday Brownies and presents. Here are a few pictures.

Papa Gordy and Vava gave Dylan some nice gifts, including a Thomas DVD Halloween collection, a ‘haunted’ caboose, and some Thomas stickers. Dylan peeled all the stickers off and put them all over his shirt (which you’ll notice is also Thomas).

They also contributed to Dylan’s new Britax Marathon car seat (I got it on sale and free shipping I might add - yahoo!!). My dad and Vava have a tradition of sorts, of giving us gifts that allow our kids to be stylish and safe while in the car and on the go. Before Dylan was born they bought us the car seat and stroller travel system, then they bought us our double stroller and now helped with the purchase of the Marathon. It is very much appreciated! 

Finally, here is a picture of Papa Gordy holding Brody.  He’s passed out cold. I mean Brody :)

Vantastic

Okay, I know, “Vantastic” is super cheesy. I heard it in a commercial once and thought it was funny.

So, yes, we bought a mini-van. As Brian says, we are now the ultimate suburban family. Two kids and a mini-van. We went on Tuesday morning to make the purchase. It’s a newer-used 2006 Chrysler Town & Country, Touring edition. Lovely silver color to disguise the winter road salt and grime. The Touring edition means there are a few extra features above the standard model. For example, the rear tailgate opens automatically, with the push of a button, as do the side doors. It’s also nice that it has Stow’N’Go seats. It has some other nice features too, but I’m sure you’re probably not interested in hearing the MANY virtues of a mini-van.

While I can’t say I’m super thrilled to be driving a mini-van (as in, I just won the lottery and this would be the vehicle of choice) , it truly does meet our needs as far as traveling with our kids goes. With the double stroller in the back of the jeep, we didn’t have any room for luggage, pack’n’play, or anything else! It was time to make the change.

Brian is a fantastic negotiator, and along with the super price, the dealership agreed to put in a DVD player at no additional cost. I have to bring the van back to them on Wednesday to get it installed. I know Dylan will love that feature. Until we take our first longer road trip, he’ll have no idea it’s there, but once he does, oh boy, I’m sure he’ll be asking to watch Diego or Thomas non-stop. I’m still trying to figure out the ground rules. Should I require a trip of at least an hour before I allow movies? I guess we’ll just see what happens. Dylan does enjoy looking out the window at school buses and big trucks, and I hope that continues.

All day Wednesday and Thursday, whenever I opened the garage door to throw out recyclables (and for some reason we have A LOT of those...), I did a double-take. Oh, I drive a mini-van.

Vantastic

Okay, I know, “Vantastic” is super cheesy. I heard it in a commercial once and thought it was funny.

So, yes, we bought a mini-van. As Brian says, we are now the ultimate suburban family. Two kids and a mini-van. We went on Tuesday morning to make the purchase. It’s a newer-used 2006 Chrysler Town & Country, Touring edition. Lovely silver color to disguise the winter road salt and grime. The Touring edition means there are a few extra features above the standard model. For example, the rear tailgate opens automatically, with the push of a button, as do the side doors. It’s also nice that it has Stow’N’Go seats. It has some other nice features too, but I’m sure you’re probably not interested in hearing the MANY virtues of a mini-van.

While I can’t say I’m super thrilled to be driving a mini-van (as in, I just won the lottery and this would be the vehicle of choice) , it truly does meet our needs as far as traveling with our kids goes. With the double stroller in the back of the jeep, we didn’t have any room for luggage, pack’n’play, or anything else! It was time to make the change.

Brian is a fantastic negotiator, and along with the super price, the dealership agreed to put in a DVD player at no additional cost. I have to bring the van back to them on Wednesday to get it installed. I know Dylan will love that feature. Until we take our first longer road trip, he’ll have no idea it’s there, but once he does, oh boy, I’m sure he’ll be asking to watch Diego or Thomas non-stop. I’m still trying to figure out the ground rules. Should I require a trip of at least an hour before I allow movies? I guess we’ll just see what happens. Dylan does enjoy looking out the window at school buses and big trucks, and I hope that continues.

All day Wednesday and Thursday, whenever I opened the garage door to throw out recyclables (and for some reason we have A LOT of those...), I did a double-take. Oh, I drive a mini-van.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hard to believe this little guy’s 2nd birthday is fast approaching. Here is Dylan with his Valentine’s Cards he received in the mail, and his Valentine’s tin from Mommy and Daddy:

I decided it was time to take down the winter decorations (snowmen and other cold things....Brrr). In looking around the house, I realized I had quite a few red things that I could use to decorate the mantel for Valentine’ Day, so here is our mantel with our new February theme. With the exception of the empty vases (3 little ones on the right), I think it looks pretty cute! I’ll be on the lookout for some cute, simple flowers to put in the vases.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hard to believe this little guy’s 2nd birthday is fast approaching. Here is Dylan with his Valentine’s Cards he received in the mail, and his Valentine’s tin from Mommy and Daddy:

I decided it was time to take down the winter decorations (snowmen and other cold things....Brrr). In looking around the house, I realized I had quite a few red things that I could use to decorate the mantel for Valentine’ Day, so here is our mantel with our new February theme. With the exception of the empty vases (3 little ones on the right), I think it looks pretty cute! I’ll be on the lookout for some cute, simple flowers to put in the vases.

Just Hangin' Out

Not a whole lot to report today, we’ve just been hanging out the last few days. Monday morning we went to story time at the library. Dylan enjoyed it, and Brody behaved while we were there. I think we’ll go again.

Dylan loves to color and draw, on any canvas...

Here are a few recent pictures of Brody:

We went in to Wesley Willows for a visit this morning, and everyone loved seeing both Dylan and Brody. I wonder why everyone wants to feed a toddler? Almost everyone we talked to offered Dylan some sort of snack or treat. I think they were trying to lure him in to their office. At one point, a co-worker of mine took Dylan for a ride in the elevator, and they came back with a bag of Cheetos. Something tells me he will be looking forward to our next visit. The next time we go however, I’ll be sure to emphasize that we’re visiting the place where Mommy works, as opposed to my strategy this morning of telling him we were visiting a bunch of Grandma’s and Papa’s. While we were there he kept asking for Grandma and Papa...oops!

Just Hangin' Out

Not a whole lot to report today, we’ve just been hanging out the last few days. Monday morning we went to story time at the library. Dylan enjoyed it, and Brody behaved while we were there. I think we’ll go again.

Dylan loves to color and draw, on any canvas...

Here are a few recent pictures of Brody:

We went in to Wesley Willows for a visit this morning, and everyone loved seeing both Dylan and Brody. I wonder why everyone wants to feed a toddler? Almost everyone we talked to offered Dylan some sort of snack or treat. I think they were trying to lure him in to their office.  At one point, a co-worker of mine took Dylan for a ride in the elevator, and they came back with a bag of Cheetos. Something tells me he will be looking forward to our next visit. The next time we go however, I’ll be sure to emphasize that we’re visiting the place where Mommy works, as opposed to my strategy this morning of telling him we were visiting a bunch of Grandma’s and Papa’s. While we were there he kept asking for Grandma and Papa...oops!