As much rain as we have been getting and the fact my husband will never get to planting sod in the back yard... We might as well make use and whip us some fresh mud pie.
Hello 20 Months!
Only a week late with this post... I'll pat myself on the back for this one, since my last monthly update was late and combined since I entirely missed 18 months (yep the 1.5 year milestone...poor kid has second born syndrome).
Oh goodness... I can not photograph my own kids, but thank goodness I can everyone else's! It's pretty evident my kids like to make me "work" for shots. The day I attempted Miles 20 month shots I attempted sibling shots... An epic fail. :/ I am pretty sure they are just continually conditioning me for clients.
I haven't made it through most of files from this session... Heck I haven't made it through most of the files for the year. But anyways... after about a bazillion clicks; I got this one :)
I had to reschedule his 18 month doctors appointment and the next available appointment with his doctor was at 20 months, so I took what we could get. His doctor is that good and totally worth waiting to get in with. Thank goodness he is still young and not planning to leave the facility---so I hope both boys keep him until they 18. Good doctors are hard to find!
So this guy's stats: Almost 31.5 inches tall!!! Super jump from his 15 month appointment. He went from the -3% for height to the 21%. I guess we have an overachiever on our hands! His weight was 25 pounds, 8 ounces (60 %). I can't remember his head circumference measurements, but I want to say it was in the near 40 %---which is huge because Miles has never been above 10%. Up until his appointment I was pretty sure we were just raising short kids with small heads :)
The doctor was impressed with Miles milestones given his prematurity. He scored high in all the developmental and physical areas without even correcting his age. Again, just an overachiever. :)
So what's new with this guy?
Well... he continues to be our social one. He isn't scared of much-- which is both good and bad. He also continues to "bully" his older brother. I asked his doctor about his aggressive behavior to his older brother and he said, "It's very common for the second born to be more aggressive because they have always had to "wait" for everything." He also said, "Actually most parents will come in and tell me the same thing."
His appetite is slowing down... but he does really well with anything with noodles. Sadly this slow down will put an end to those chubby baby like cheeks and thighs. Another part of being robbed from babyhood and transitioning to toddlerhood. Miles, your momma is going to miss this squishy baby. And your also going to get tired of me always calling you my baby since you are our last baby. Man up and get used to it :)
This was lunch last week.
Treat. He will do just about anything for a treat... See the photo above? Two words, fruit snacks. The fruit snack obsession and the bribery for everything is in full swing. I am pretty sure if we let him he would live on fruit snacks and bananas. Last week we ran out of both. The morning was brutal. By 11 am we found ourselves picking up an economy size box of fruit snack and a whole bundle of bananas. The rest of the day went much better. TGFFS (Thank God for Fruit Snacks).
"Nap time is no longer cool mom." I know Miles, nap time is not cool... but when your momma is trying to keep up with work---she desperately needs you to nap and not just those 20 minute cat naps you have been taking! Sleep is kind of mixed up right now. Partly with summer we keep the kids up later (hello we live a snow cave for more than 6 months a year---we take every bit of summer we can get). On a typical night he is bed by around 8/8:30. He is turning a little more restless when I lay him down at night. Most recently he has been whining for about 10 minutes after he is put to bed. He is also waking up during the night with "nightmares" I am thinking? He has woken up 3 times last week. He also kissed his morning nap goodbye about 3 weeks ago. At daycare they transitioned him to one nap at just before 16 months (which honestly I feel is too early)... But being he is home 3 days a week he had still been regular two napping until then. Harrison has always been a super napper. Looking back on his 20 month post he was giving up his second nap about the same time as Miles.
His first two word-word... BIG TRUCK and he says it all the time. The kid loves trucks and airplanes almost as much as stealing his big brother's toys. :) Regular words are "Banana, More, Please." He is attempting saying Violet. We are still moving at a snail rate for speech...He will likely be a late talker like Harrison was. Most importantly he understands a lot; even a lot more than I think we give him credit for.
We have to start thinking of the next big tasks... like potty training. We won't be attempting with Miles until he is two, unless he shows some kind of intense excitement before then. Boys are known to train later and honestly I don't think any kids is really ready until there at least two. I am pretty optimistic he will train fairly easy. Not because Harrison did, but he is so in tune with following everyone to the bathroom. In fact if you have to tell you have you have to go the bathroom, he will lead you there, lift the seat, wait for you to go and then flush for you.
Temper. He has a temper. Probably from me. His temper is little feistier however... He does a lot of throwing things when he can't get something to work or if he and Harrison have been rallying over a toy----it usually goes flying. Having to wait for anything is the biggest trigger.
As much as he is naughty... we think is equally as cute :) One of his favorite things to is "pretend to take a nap". I caught him here.
I am pretty much in love with the new lens Doug bought me for my birthday. With house being so narrow and dark... It's been a constant challenge to take these everyday photos with my 50. What a huge change having a 28 makes... I can even shoot through a doorway without being cropped off.
Summer is going by WAY too fast. In just a few more weeks I'll be posting his next 21 months. It's like a ticking time bomb until age two.
Oh goodness... I can not photograph my own kids, but thank goodness I can everyone else's! It's pretty evident my kids like to make me "work" for shots. The day I attempted Miles 20 month shots I attempted sibling shots... An epic fail. :/ I am pretty sure they are just continually conditioning me for clients.
I haven't made it through most of files from this session... Heck I haven't made it through most of the files for the year. But anyways... after about a bazillion clicks; I got this one :)
I had to reschedule his 18 month doctors appointment and the next available appointment with his doctor was at 20 months, so I took what we could get. His doctor is that good and totally worth waiting to get in with. Thank goodness he is still young and not planning to leave the facility---so I hope both boys keep him until they 18. Good doctors are hard to find!
So this guy's stats: Almost 31.5 inches tall!!! Super jump from his 15 month appointment. He went from the -3% for height to the 21%. I guess we have an overachiever on our hands! His weight was 25 pounds, 8 ounces (60 %). I can't remember his head circumference measurements, but I want to say it was in the near 40 %---which is huge because Miles has never been above 10%. Up until his appointment I was pretty sure we were just raising short kids with small heads :)
The doctor was impressed with Miles milestones given his prematurity. He scored high in all the developmental and physical areas without even correcting his age. Again, just an overachiever. :)
So what's new with this guy?
Well... he continues to be our social one. He isn't scared of much-- which is both good and bad. He also continues to "bully" his older brother. I asked his doctor about his aggressive behavior to his older brother and he said, "It's very common for the second born to be more aggressive because they have always had to "wait" for everything." He also said, "Actually most parents will come in and tell me the same thing."
His appetite is slowing down... but he does really well with anything with noodles. Sadly this slow down will put an end to those chubby baby like cheeks and thighs. Another part of being robbed from babyhood and transitioning to toddlerhood. Miles, your momma is going to miss this squishy baby. And your also going to get tired of me always calling you my baby since you are our last baby. Man up and get used to it :)
This was lunch last week.
Treat. He will do just about anything for a treat... See the photo above? Two words, fruit snacks. The fruit snack obsession and the bribery for everything is in full swing. I am pretty sure if we let him he would live on fruit snacks and bananas. Last week we ran out of both. The morning was brutal. By 11 am we found ourselves picking up an economy size box of fruit snack and a whole bundle of bananas. The rest of the day went much better. TGFFS (Thank God for Fruit Snacks).
"Nap time is no longer cool mom." I know Miles, nap time is not cool... but when your momma is trying to keep up with work---she desperately needs you to nap and not just those 20 minute cat naps you have been taking! Sleep is kind of mixed up right now. Partly with summer we keep the kids up later (hello we live a snow cave for more than 6 months a year---we take every bit of summer we can get). On a typical night he is bed by around 8/8:30. He is turning a little more restless when I lay him down at night. Most recently he has been whining for about 10 minutes after he is put to bed. He is also waking up during the night with "nightmares" I am thinking? He has woken up 3 times last week. He also kissed his morning nap goodbye about 3 weeks ago. At daycare they transitioned him to one nap at just before 16 months (which honestly I feel is too early)... But being he is home 3 days a week he had still been regular two napping until then. Harrison has always been a super napper. Looking back on his 20 month post he was giving up his second nap about the same time as Miles.
His first two word-word... BIG TRUCK and he says it all the time. The kid loves trucks and airplanes almost as much as stealing his big brother's toys. :) Regular words are "Banana, More, Please." He is attempting saying Violet. We are still moving at a snail rate for speech...He will likely be a late talker like Harrison was. Most importantly he understands a lot; even a lot more than I think we give him credit for.
We have to start thinking of the next big tasks... like potty training. We won't be attempting with Miles until he is two, unless he shows some kind of intense excitement before then. Boys are known to train later and honestly I don't think any kids is really ready until there at least two. I am pretty optimistic he will train fairly easy. Not because Harrison did, but he is so in tune with following everyone to the bathroom. In fact if you have to tell you have you have to go the bathroom, he will lead you there, lift the seat, wait for you to go and then flush for you.
Temper. He has a temper. Probably from me. His temper is little feistier however... He does a lot of throwing things when he can't get something to work or if he and Harrison have been rallying over a toy----it usually goes flying. Having to wait for anything is the biggest trigger.
As much as he is naughty... we think is equally as cute :) One of his favorite things to is "pretend to take a nap". I caught him here.
I am pretty much in love with the new lens Doug bought me for my birthday. With house being so narrow and dark... It's been a constant challenge to take these everyday photos with my 50. What a huge change having a 28 makes... I can even shoot through a doorway without being cropped off.
Summer is going by WAY too fast. In just a few more weeks I'll be posting his next 21 months. It's like a ticking time bomb until age two.
Just listen to the rain...
Sunday, June 15, 2014
As much as rain is very much needed, it usually puts on damper on the fun... but not today :)
After he was soaked up some fresh mud puddles and danced around in the falling rain he exclaimed, "Momma, I'm cold." Earlier in the day I cleaned out photo props out of the back of my car and piled them on the porch. In the heap of chairs, baskets and blankets lay this gem of quilt I picked up at antique store last week. And then this happened.
After a few moments of quiet (which rarely happens) he broke the silence and said, "Momma, I like watching the rain, it's nice." Instantly after that was said, I was flooded with my own childhood memories. My dad and I were the closest when I was about Harrison's age. In fact many of my early childhood memories are with my dad. It's amazing how after 29 + 1 years I remember things so vividly from when I was just 4 or 5 years old. I began to tell Harrison about what "Papa" and I used to do when I was his age. And it turns out one memory, triggered another memory which ended up triggering a train of memories.
Doug doesn't remember a lot of his childhood... I think his first memory he can recall is around age 8 and after that is a lot of gaps. I guess they always say "guys" don't have the same memory as women. Whether that is true or not is totally debatable. I feel like so much of our memories also help build & shape our future.
Thank goodness for electronic baby books (aka-the blog) and huge technology advancement super good photo quality, cell phones and basically anything is more advanced than the 1980s these two boys can have memory with just a click of a mouse of a tap of their finger or who knows what else will be invented in the next years. For now boys, I have your back... Don't let memories like this fade away, ever.
After he was soaked up some fresh mud puddles and danced around in the falling rain he exclaimed, "Momma, I'm cold." Earlier in the day I cleaned out photo props out of the back of my car and piled them on the porch. In the heap of chairs, baskets and blankets lay this gem of quilt I picked up at antique store last week. And then this happened.
After a few moments of quiet (which rarely happens) he broke the silence and said, "Momma, I like watching the rain, it's nice." Instantly after that was said, I was flooded with my own childhood memories. My dad and I were the closest when I was about Harrison's age. In fact many of my early childhood memories are with my dad. It's amazing how after 29 + 1 years I remember things so vividly from when I was just 4 or 5 years old. I began to tell Harrison about what "Papa" and I used to do when I was his age. And it turns out one memory, triggered another memory which ended up triggering a train of memories.
Doug doesn't remember a lot of his childhood... I think his first memory he can recall is around age 8 and after that is a lot of gaps. I guess they always say "guys" don't have the same memory as women. Whether that is true or not is totally debatable. I feel like so much of our memories also help build & shape our future.
Thank goodness for electronic baby books (aka-the blog) and huge technology advancement super good photo quality, cell phones and basically anything is more advanced than the 1980s these two boys can have memory with just a click of a mouse of a tap of their finger or who knows what else will be invented in the next years. For now boys, I have your back... Don't let memories like this fade away, ever.
The little red coupe.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
I've been stalking the Pinterest... daily, well even hourly for ideas to keep us busy (but not too busy) this summer. I have vetoed out any "planned" activities (ex. tee ball, soccer, camps) for this summer. Our life has been so chaotic this year... that I want this summer to be as carefree and simple as possible. I want the ability to just pick up and go when we want too without having to worry about getting back at such and such time or spending every weekend committing ourselves to something. And you know what....call me old fashioned, but there is plenty of things to do at your own home.
Do you remember washing your bike as a kid? When I was sorting through baby stuff the other day, I found this classic red little Fisher Price coupe in the very back of the garage. A little (or a lot) dusty, but with a little car wash it was looking brand new again.
Miles had so much fun spraying the hose, splashing and scrubbing his coupe. I can still almost here his giggles, they were pretty contagious :)
Happy Summer!
Do you remember washing your bike as a kid? When I was sorting through baby stuff the other day, I found this classic red little Fisher Price coupe in the very back of the garage. A little (or a lot) dusty, but with a little car wash it was looking brand new again.
Miles had so much fun spraying the hose, splashing and scrubbing his coupe. I can still almost here his giggles, they were pretty contagious :)
Happy Summer!
My baby.
I love everything about babies, but especially their little feet and toes. Most people would agree that baby toes are pretty much irresistible.
This week has been hard for me. I've been doing a lot of thinking about life in general, our future and the inevitable 30 milestone I crash into on Thursday.
I always said I was going to be done having kids by the time I am 30. Well, that gives me two days to get pregnant and have baby. So yah folks, likely not a #3 for the Kelley Family...but I won't say never...yet anyways.
I went to our storage unit on Sunday to take all of our baby items we still have on hand and brought them to the house to sort and clean them. I don't know what came over me late last week, but something has urged me to just sell everything. I have to admit, that selling your baby stuff has to be one of the hardest things that a mom ever has to do. It's like saying, I'm ok never being pregnant again, it's ok if I never feel those tiny kicks again, it's ok that I'll never have another baby again. Man, this real life adult decisions are not easy to make. In all, we are just living our lives day by day and don't know what the future will bring. I feel like by holding on to all the baby stuff makes me (and only me---Doug's said he was done before we left the hospital with Miles) more pressed to decide or not to have third child. Honestly I don't think you should ever be so pressed to make a HUGE life decision like this. I react better under less stress. So yeah maybe one day there will be baby #3, but just not anytime soon if we ever do decide to grow our family.
For now it's Doug, Amanda, Harrison, Miles, Violet Puppy, Sammy & Sully kitty, and fish named Dinosaur. I think this pretty much makes us a family of 8 already.
Planes
It's been a couple of years since we had been to an air show...I think Harrison was about 2.5 at the last show we attended in Mankato, MN. I also believe that show was one of the last times the Blue Angels flew together for quite sometime. But again this year the Blue Angels are once again flying together. I honestly think seeing their performance together a second time was even better than the first.
The weather started out muggy and hot, but from the photos you can see we got caught in a couple of rounds of rain and it cooled down more than 10 degrees, but in the end it drove a lot of people away giving us the better view and no waiting in lines. With it raining on/off I didn't pull out the camera much, but just enough to snap a few quick shots the boys can look back at. Harrison loves it when I bring up the blog and show him all the fun stuff we have done. In fact his favorite book is the first year blog that Doug had printed for my 2011 Mother's Day gift.
Oh and before I forget to mention, some lucky 4 year old got to fly in a helicopter with his dad this day and jump in a the biggest bouncy houses we've ever seen. I am beginning to think age 4 is quite possibly the best age ever.
The weather started out muggy and hot, but from the photos you can see we got caught in a couple of rounds of rain and it cooled down more than 10 degrees, but in the end it drove a lot of people away giving us the better view and no waiting in lines. With it raining on/off I didn't pull out the camera much, but just enough to snap a few quick shots the boys can look back at. Harrison loves it when I bring up the blog and show him all the fun stuff we have done. In fact his favorite book is the first year blog that Doug had printed for my 2011 Mother's Day gift.
Oh and before I forget to mention, some lucky 4 year old got to fly in a helicopter with his dad this day and jump in a the biggest bouncy houses we've ever seen. I am beginning to think age 4 is quite possibly the best age ever.
Yes, this was an exciting show for most of us...other of us, just slept as planes roared above.
4.5 Years Old
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
This kid is awesome, freaking awesome. :) I can not believe he will turn 5 in less than 6 months. That is CRAZY talk.
And oh the glasses? He got them nearly 6 months ago (about time I post a picture of him wearing them, right)? He mostly wears them indoors and never playing outside and he still on his 3rd pair. But good thing we have two of these frames and one under warranty for the next year. I don't want to get into the cost of these, but man never wearing glasses myself I never have known the expense! His first two frames/lens were covered by MA and honestly the selection and quality of these frames are so cheap. I shouldn't complain because they were FREE, but honestly insurance could save money if they would just issue/offer frames of quality. Flimsy doesn't do at age 4. We have a follow up eye exam later this month. The eye doctor was hopeful that his nearsighted crossing (result of prematurity) would likely correct with the glasses within a year. So his specs are not permanent (we hope), but for now, he looks pretty darn cute in them.
I thought since Harrison is just over the 4.5 year marker, it would be fun to ask him this series of questions. Turns out he had a blast answering these and when we were finished he asked to answer more.
1. Who is your favorite person in the entire world? Logan
2. What is your favorite color? Rainbow
3. What is your favorite TV show? Fireman Sam & Paw Patrol
4. What is your favorite outfit? Sweat pants and yellow clothes
5. What sport is your favorite? Soccer
6. What song do you love? Abcs, Itsy Bitsy & Twinkle, Twinkle & Tippin'
7. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
8. Who is your best friend? Logan
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Police Officer
10. What is your favorite book? Hungry Caterpillar
11. What are you really good at? Sharing with Miles (OMG: I about died laughing when he answered this one)
12. Where do you wish you could go on vacation? To the beach
13. What is your favorite memory? Going to Penquin ice cream.
14. What would you buy if you had a lot of money? Motorcycle
15. What is the vegetable you least like to eat? Lettuce. Tomatoes.
16. If you could have one wish, what would that be? Grow big like you.
17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Cookie Dough!
18. Who is your biggest hero? Batman
19. What do you like to do best with your friends? Play at their houses.
20. What do you want to do for your 5th birthday? Have a piñata.
Time sure does fly and I know if kind of a clique since we hear it so much.... but not for one moment of my life have I ever wished him older. He promises me, "Momma, I won't get any bigger, I'll stay little forever." With his next breathe he says, "Momma when I get older and big like you and go to college. Whoa Harrison! Hold on, kindergarten is still a year a way.
Here is a little comparison from last fall and here is look from this morning (yes I am updating the same day the picture was taken, that's even crazier talk).
Well you can look forward to a few more blog entries over the next few days... Turns out I am our first summer fun accident and ended up in urgent care for 2.5 hours. After 3 doctors and x-ray they were able to fish out a piece of glass that had embedded itself in the heel of my foot (for at least 3 days and I have no idea how it even got in there and had no idea it was glass). This injury has been one of the most painful accidents I have had in 29 years. I guess I am going out of my 20s with a bang.
And oh the glasses? He got them nearly 6 months ago (about time I post a picture of him wearing them, right)? He mostly wears them indoors and never playing outside and he still on his 3rd pair. But good thing we have two of these frames and one under warranty for the next year. I don't want to get into the cost of these, but man never wearing glasses myself I never have known the expense! His first two frames/lens were covered by MA and honestly the selection and quality of these frames are so cheap. I shouldn't complain because they were FREE, but honestly insurance could save money if they would just issue/offer frames of quality. Flimsy doesn't do at age 4. We have a follow up eye exam later this month. The eye doctor was hopeful that his nearsighted crossing (result of prematurity) would likely correct with the glasses within a year. So his specs are not permanent (we hope), but for now, he looks pretty darn cute in them.
I thought since Harrison is just over the 4.5 year marker, it would be fun to ask him this series of questions. Turns out he had a blast answering these and when we were finished he asked to answer more.
1. Who is your favorite person in the entire world? Logan
2. What is your favorite color? Rainbow
3. What is your favorite TV show? Fireman Sam & Paw Patrol
4. What is your favorite outfit? Sweat pants and yellow clothes
5. What sport is your favorite? Soccer
6. What song do you love? Abcs, Itsy Bitsy & Twinkle, Twinkle & Tippin'
7. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
8. Who is your best friend? Logan
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Police Officer
10. What is your favorite book? Hungry Caterpillar
11. What are you really good at? Sharing with Miles (OMG: I about died laughing when he answered this one)
12. Where do you wish you could go on vacation? To the beach
13. What is your favorite memory? Going to Penquin ice cream.
14. What would you buy if you had a lot of money? Motorcycle
15. What is the vegetable you least like to eat? Lettuce. Tomatoes.
16. If you could have one wish, what would that be? Grow big like you.
17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Cookie Dough!
18. Who is your biggest hero? Batman
19. What do you like to do best with your friends? Play at their houses.
20. What do you want to do for your 5th birthday? Have a piñata.
Time sure does fly and I know if kind of a clique since we hear it so much.... but not for one moment of my life have I ever wished him older. He promises me, "Momma, I won't get any bigger, I'll stay little forever." With his next breathe he says, "Momma when I get older and big like you and go to college. Whoa Harrison! Hold on, kindergarten is still a year a way.
Here is a little comparison from last fall and here is look from this morning (yes I am updating the same day the picture was taken, that's even crazier talk).
Well you can look forward to a few more blog entries over the next few days... Turns out I am our first summer fun accident and ended up in urgent care for 2.5 hours. After 3 doctors and x-ray they were able to fish out a piece of glass that had embedded itself in the heel of my foot (for at least 3 days and I have no idea how it even got in there and had no idea it was glass). This injury has been one of the most painful accidents I have had in 29 years. I guess I am going out of my 20s with a bang.
Our boat, named Whitney.
Monday, June 2, 2014
At 4, Harrison is starting to understand things have two names for example, a bird is a bird, but a red bird in Minnesota is typically called a Cardinal and Violet is a dog, but she is a springer spaniel. Oh my goodness does this kid ever ask questions and the same questions over and over and OVER. It can be exhausting! So in conversation Harrison pretty much gives a second name to everything. At the park he names those horses on springs--- typically, "Iron Man," "Superman," "Captain America," & "Spiderman." At home he pretends he's a dog named Whitney about 50% of the time.
He talks about Whitney a lot. We read the books "Dog Heaven" and "God Gave Us Heaven" a few times a month at his request. I know at 4 he doesn't quite understand death beyond you go to Heaven and you never get to come back. It's hard to explain this concept to this age as much I have explained what happened to Whitney 100s of times. Besides having Whitney's collar hanging from my review mirror in the car, I don't talk a lot about her. I often wonder if it's God's way of keeping Harrison talking about her so much, so she isn't just a distant memory, that she was and will always be a part of lives. I've actually done some research on my own first memories from childhood. A lot of what I read makes sense. A first real memory is often a loss of something, or something traumatic/life changing. My first real memory is at my Great Grandma's funeral. I don't remember her, but I remember the day of the funeral. I remember what dress she wore, what the her hair looked like, even the details of what the casket looked like (crazy I know). I was about Harrison's age. So putting this all together, Whitney maybe his first real memory, not maybe Whitney herself, but the impact her leaving us made on Doug & I and our family.
Whitney loved swimming and loved the river. One of the best decision's Doug and I ever made was to buy our boat late last summer. Whitney got to spend a few really great days digging in the sand and swimming. This was Heaven to her. And as much as I have cursed God for taking her from us, she gets to do what she loves everyday and knowing that helps keeps us moving forward.
So back to naming things, because I was going somewhere with this, I promise! :) Since everything has two names, Harrison suggested we name our boat, "Whitney."
On Saturday, we all went out on the river for the first time this year on our boat named Whitney.
He talks about Whitney a lot. We read the books "Dog Heaven" and "God Gave Us Heaven" a few times a month at his request. I know at 4 he doesn't quite understand death beyond you go to Heaven and you never get to come back. It's hard to explain this concept to this age as much I have explained what happened to Whitney 100s of times. Besides having Whitney's collar hanging from my review mirror in the car, I don't talk a lot about her. I often wonder if it's God's way of keeping Harrison talking about her so much, so she isn't just a distant memory, that she was and will always be a part of lives. I've actually done some research on my own first memories from childhood. A lot of what I read makes sense. A first real memory is often a loss of something, or something traumatic/life changing. My first real memory is at my Great Grandma's funeral. I don't remember her, but I remember the day of the funeral. I remember what dress she wore, what the her hair looked like, even the details of what the casket looked like (crazy I know). I was about Harrison's age. So putting this all together, Whitney maybe his first real memory, not maybe Whitney herself, but the impact her leaving us made on Doug & I and our family.
Whitney loved swimming and loved the river. One of the best decision's Doug and I ever made was to buy our boat late last summer. Whitney got to spend a few really great days digging in the sand and swimming. This was Heaven to her. And as much as I have cursed God for taking her from us, she gets to do what she loves everyday and knowing that helps keeps us moving forward.
So back to naming things, because I was going somewhere with this, I promise! :) Since everything has two names, Harrison suggested we name our boat, "Whitney."
On Saturday, we all went out on the river for the first time this year on our boat named Whitney.
Playing.... "Catch up."
I am so bad at blogging these days...but I am sure I don't need to make a formal announcement, it's pretty apparent on my lack of entries. Staying at home with Harrison 2 days a week and 3 with Miles... it's a struggle to keep up on EVERYTHING. I am busier home with these two than I was working a full time job with photography on the side.
We have done so much in the past couple of months and plan to do so much this summer. Lets pedal backwards to early May when we started digging up our yard and actually do updating of our landscaping that hasn't been touched in at least 4-5 years (we will call that the pre-kids era). Hey, kids are a good excuse to use if you didn't get something done or just plain are procrastinating doing something because it's a lot of work! Guilty here.
This year is yard renovation. We took out a large part of mulch and retaining brick in what we consider the "front yard." By taking out the mulch and stone, it's not only safer playing for the kids, but it almost increased our small yard's size by 25%. That's huge considering what we have... but honestly having a HUGE or even BIG yard isn't on our "next home," list. We are pretty content with a small yard, even in the city. I grew up in small rural town with a population of about 500 and I have to say I love our location downtown... Our current home is a couple blocks from a gas station, grocery store, parks, fire station (this is huge for the kids, they love it), movie theater, local pubs and exactly 1 mile from Target:). I am a small country girl, turned small city girl. Despite loving our current location I hope to one day own a home with a yard that is fenced in. This would be great for letting the kids play while dinner is cooking and a place for the dog to roam around... but for now this is what we call home. So back to the "year" of yard work. A great bunch of sod went in about 5 weeks ago and the best news? We haven't killed it yet! :) It's looking pretty amazing out there. We have a few regular spots in the yard we are still attempting to seed and we have several plants to replace. Our more mature shrubs perennials had a hard winter and we have lost about 5 plants along with some of our flowering plants. Seeding has always been a struggle for us because the very mature hedges that line a large portion of our home suck up every bit of moisture...This is our conclusion after 9 years. We have also spent countless hours moving retaining brick and patio stones as well as reconstructing the screen on our front porch...We are making steady progress, but it's been a little slower than our initial, "getter done mode." The porch needed another coat of paint as it about 75% painted and as of the other day the screening was complete. We have the neighbor side of home left to sod. We are just waiting a bit longer to see how the sod in the front handles for the next few weeks. For now it's been a giant construction site for the boys. Who needs sand when you have mud?
Daddy turned THIRTY THREE!
Cinco de Mayo marked another year closer to 40 for this guy. Only 7 more years until your 30s are a distant memory... I only say this because I have a certain milestone coming up in 11 days (but who's really counting anyways) and a certain daddy/husband has routinely reminded me just how OLD I am going to be. I am starting to think this is all an illusion because there is no way I will turn ___ ___this year... NO WAY. So back tracking to Daddy's birthday Harrison surprised him with his very own monster truck and Captain America tee along with some essential summer gear and new radio for the boat. We celebrated 3-3 with Hay Day cake. If you don't know what Hay Day is, TRUST ME, you are not missing a thing! Remember Farmville on Facebook? It's basically "Farmville" on steroids. So as much as I tease Doug about this game and how much I think it's a waste of time etc. etc. I went against everything and purchased this cake.
May also meant "Mom's day." We spent the day at the Minnesota Zoo (mom's got in free that day :) Harrison very much wanted to see the seals and giraffes in which I forgot this zoo didn't have seals and the giraffes were no where to be seen (and they are pretty hard to just miss). As much as he had disappointment in not seeing the animals on his "wish list" the farm and ice cream pretty much equaled seals and giraffes. Next time we will visit COMO Zoo and check those animals off the list. I'm a little sad or even a lot sad that my memory card was having formatting issues so this post will have to go on, photo-less. :(
As much as both of kids don't enjoy the "picture thing" we took these for me on our way home from the zoo (yeah memory card working again).
And you see that photo of the three of us one your right? That 4 year old to left captured that. Yes, for real! He even tried posing me for individual portraits. It's defiantly one of my favorite shots, despite the wind blown hair and sweaty, dirty clothes. Moments like this are real. Love this.
May = digging = birthday = zoo = mothers day = march for babies.
March for babies was another success for our small Winona Community. We raised over 20,000 for the continued research for prematurity, birth defects and creating an overall healthy pregnancy for every single woman.
This our team took a little nose dive in numbers. Well to be honest it's taken a nose dive since we started walking back in 2010. Every year we lose some team members, but gain some new ones, but this year we didn't gain anyone new and lost even more members than our 2014 team put together. Part of the loss of team members was just other commitments the same weekend (since the walk wasn't held until May 17th this year) and others, I'm not sure why. To join the walk and register, it's completely FREE. Most other area walks and organizations are at a cost to even sign up and that event, cause, doesn't effect every single family. I am not saying one organization is better than another, I am just saying March of Dimes effects every single person because every single person knows someone that is pregnant, had a child etc...and every single one of those pregnancies and children have been effected by this organization. Just because you had a full term, healthy child, doesn't exempt you from what the March of Dimes has provided. This organization spends millions of dollars a year researching pregnancy and advising and creating new forms to provide the healthiest pregnancies for EVERY. SINGLE. PREGNANCY. So, with this said, the March of Dimes is a part of your life...Please find a way to give back. We all spend so much of our lives taking and not giving.
Since joining the March for Babies in 2010 and then becoming a committee member back in 2011 as well as a new team committee chair in 2012; I know I am helping more than just one person, one family, or even one community... I am saving a baby. Even if it feels like I am walking alone sometimes in this fight, it doesn't matter, I would keep fighting, even if I was on a one man team. This is where I decided on the quote for this year's walk as it applies to so much about Match for Babies, the fight for life and everyday challenges we face personally and world wide.
Words can express how much we appreciate and are thankful those that come out with us every year to support healthy pregnancies, research for prematurity & birth defects and give families, the community and world hope for the future. A special thank you goes to: Scott, Dawson, Nina, Danica, Amanda, Diane, Eric, Cooper, Carter, Kim, Carter (and not pictured: Kara, Alessa, Gavin, Curt, Karen & Jace).
A special thank you also goes out to every single person, family who made a donation, helped, supported Team Mileson Brother in any way. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.
As much as I want to take photos at events, the business of the day sneaks up on me, but here is a few keepers from this beautiful day! And for a rarity, I'm in most of them! The boys do have a mom after all! :)
And for fun, here is a peek back to 2010 when we joined March for Babies and were the ambassador family that year. Also attached is the speech that I wrote and through many tears managed to read to about 300 supporters. If you want you can still donate to March for babies at any time by following this link March for Babies and we have another great event this summer that take place August 17th at Target Field (see a Twins games and support March for Babies (it's really that easy) and this fall there is another event called, "Jail & Bail for Babies." Be sure to check those out (more information can be found on the link above). And I have also started a Winona March for Babies page on Facebook, so be sure to check that out as well!
To see the first year video click HERE
Below is the speech I wrote back in 2010. 4 years later, I still can't make it through it without some tears. I can't imagine life without kids.
Where am I? Who are all of these people? What is going on?
In labor? This can’t be happening… Wake me up, wake me up, someone please wake me up! This must definitely be a dream…No---you must have the wrong person…this kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like me.
November 28, 2009 changed our lives forever when our miracle arrived 11 weeks too soon weighing in at 3 pounds, 3 ounces and 16 inches long.
When I was a little girl I dreamt of meeting my prince charming, getting married and having lots and lots of babies! I met my prince charming in 2002 we were married on June 18, 2005. After 4 years of parenting practice with our two kitties and energetic Springer Spaniel we were elated to find out that we were going to be blessed with a baby boy.
Never did we ever expect the challenges we were about to face. Our son Harrison was expected to arrive on February 10, 2010. Life took an unexpected turn when he arrived nearly 3 months early. My husband and I were never so scared in our entire lives. The whole situation seemed so surreal.
I remember the first drive down to hospital to see our son the morning after he was born. I looked at my husband and said…this is the beginning of a very long road. As we arrived at the hospital we walked the long halls and road the elevator up to the 5 floor NICU, which would be home to our son for nearly 8 weeks.
I will always remember walking over to Harrison’s isolette for the first time and seeing this tiny baby fighting for his life. Tubes, lines and monitors covered his body. As parents we felt completely helpless. As a mother I blamed myself.
I had never been so angry at the world for what had happened…
As hours, days and weeks went by the reality of Harrison’s prematurity barreled in.…we stopped living the lives we once led. We had our life in the NICU and a life we were supposed to be living outside of those walls.
Life was a gigantic rollercoaster of emotions, struggles and gains. Set backs were inevitable and nothing could prepare you for reality of it all. We were afraid to celebrate gains because when something went well life would throw us a curve ball. I said to one of the nurses one day, “This place has made me the most un-trusting person.” Just when you think you have hit rock bottom, you are hit harder by a whirl-wind of challenges.
Harrison went from a ventilator, to c-pap to nasal prongs, and back to c-pap a half a dozen times. He underwent two blood transfusions and two rounds of drugs to help close the open valve in his heart. Next he faced issues with edema and was given several doses of diuretics to assist his breathing. Later struggles came with coordinating suck, swallow and breath during feedings and enduring countless periods of apnea and heart decelerations.
One step forward, two steps back. Despite the struggles, Harrison also made gains. As he continued to grow and mature, progress grew by leaps and bounds. Our 3 pound baby was now more than 5 pounds and feeding and breathing on his own.
Daily conversations with doctors went from when he goes home to he is going home. During the last two weeks in the NICU, the nurses used lecture Harrison and would say, “It’s time for you to go home.” It’s not that we wore out our NICU welcome…but indeed it was time to go home.
January 19, 2010 we walked the long halls and road the elevator to the 5th floor NICU for the last time. When we left the hospital that day, we left the hospital with our son.
Can we say for certain that our son would be here today without the help of March of Dimes?
No, we can’t. March of Dimes impacted the life of our son and family is so many ways.
Within minutes of birth Harrison was given surfactant. Surfactant keeps the air sacs in the lungs from collapsing making breathing easier in premature babies. The lungs are often underdeveloped and lack the production of surfactant. Receiving this treatment saves thousands of babies every year. Before the use of surfactant 10,000 babies died of respiratory distress syndrome each year. With the use of surfactant less the 1,000 babies die today. March of Dimes funded the research for this therapy.
The folic acid in prenatal vitamins has led to a decrease in birth defects, which is another contribution from the March of Dimes. New born screening tests including a hearing test have been made possible by the March of Dimes.
March of Dimes Advocacy for Preemies helps experts continue research for prevention for pre-term labor...so that more babies can be born at full term.
What can we do as individuals and families? Walk in support of this great organization. Spread the word---tell everyone about what March of Dimes has done. Ask for donations they won’t come to you, you have to go to them the worse somebody can say is no.
One day every baby will be born healthy.
Thank you March of Dimes!
Thank you, thank you again for supporting our team & March for Babies over these past 4 years!
We have done so much in the past couple of months and plan to do so much this summer. Lets pedal backwards to early May when we started digging up our yard and actually do updating of our landscaping that hasn't been touched in at least 4-5 years (we will call that the pre-kids era). Hey, kids are a good excuse to use if you didn't get something done or just plain are procrastinating doing something because it's a lot of work! Guilty here.
This year is yard renovation. We took out a large part of mulch and retaining brick in what we consider the "front yard." By taking out the mulch and stone, it's not only safer playing for the kids, but it almost increased our small yard's size by 25%. That's huge considering what we have... but honestly having a HUGE or even BIG yard isn't on our "next home," list. We are pretty content with a small yard, even in the city. I grew up in small rural town with a population of about 500 and I have to say I love our location downtown... Our current home is a couple blocks from a gas station, grocery store, parks, fire station (this is huge for the kids, they love it), movie theater, local pubs and exactly 1 mile from Target:). I am a small country girl, turned small city girl. Despite loving our current location I hope to one day own a home with a yard that is fenced in. This would be great for letting the kids play while dinner is cooking and a place for the dog to roam around... but for now this is what we call home. So back to the "year" of yard work. A great bunch of sod went in about 5 weeks ago and the best news? We haven't killed it yet! :) It's looking pretty amazing out there. We have a few regular spots in the yard we are still attempting to seed and we have several plants to replace. Our more mature shrubs perennials had a hard winter and we have lost about 5 plants along with some of our flowering plants. Seeding has always been a struggle for us because the very mature hedges that line a large portion of our home suck up every bit of moisture...This is our conclusion after 9 years. We have also spent countless hours moving retaining brick and patio stones as well as reconstructing the screen on our front porch...We are making steady progress, but it's been a little slower than our initial, "getter done mode." The porch needed another coat of paint as it about 75% painted and as of the other day the screening was complete. We have the neighbor side of home left to sod. We are just waiting a bit longer to see how the sod in the front handles for the next few weeks. For now it's been a giant construction site for the boys. Who needs sand when you have mud?
Daddy turned THIRTY THREE!
Cinco de Mayo marked another year closer to 40 for this guy. Only 7 more years until your 30s are a distant memory... I only say this because I have a certain milestone coming up in 11 days (but who's really counting anyways) and a certain daddy/husband has routinely reminded me just how OLD I am going to be. I am starting to think this is all an illusion because there is no way I will turn ___ ___this year... NO WAY. So back tracking to Daddy's birthday Harrison surprised him with his very own monster truck and Captain America tee along with some essential summer gear and new radio for the boat. We celebrated 3-3 with Hay Day cake. If you don't know what Hay Day is, TRUST ME, you are not missing a thing! Remember Farmville on Facebook? It's basically "Farmville" on steroids. So as much as I tease Doug about this game and how much I think it's a waste of time etc. etc. I went against everything and purchased this cake.
May also meant "Mom's day." We spent the day at the Minnesota Zoo (mom's got in free that day :) Harrison very much wanted to see the seals and giraffes in which I forgot this zoo didn't have seals and the giraffes were no where to be seen (and they are pretty hard to just miss). As much as he had disappointment in not seeing the animals on his "wish list" the farm and ice cream pretty much equaled seals and giraffes. Next time we will visit COMO Zoo and check those animals off the list. I'm a little sad or even a lot sad that my memory card was having formatting issues so this post will have to go on, photo-less. :(
As much as both of kids don't enjoy the "picture thing" we took these for me on our way home from the zoo (yeah memory card working again).
And you see that photo of the three of us one your right? That 4 year old to left captured that. Yes, for real! He even tried posing me for individual portraits. It's defiantly one of my favorite shots, despite the wind blown hair and sweaty, dirty clothes. Moments like this are real. Love this.
May = digging = birthday = zoo = mothers day = march for babies.
March for babies was another success for our small Winona Community. We raised over 20,000 for the continued research for prematurity, birth defects and creating an overall healthy pregnancy for every single woman.
This our team took a little nose dive in numbers. Well to be honest it's taken a nose dive since we started walking back in 2010. Every year we lose some team members, but gain some new ones, but this year we didn't gain anyone new and lost even more members than our 2014 team put together. Part of the loss of team members was just other commitments the same weekend (since the walk wasn't held until May 17th this year) and others, I'm not sure why. To join the walk and register, it's completely FREE. Most other area walks and organizations are at a cost to even sign up and that event, cause, doesn't effect every single family. I am not saying one organization is better than another, I am just saying March of Dimes effects every single person because every single person knows someone that is pregnant, had a child etc...and every single one of those pregnancies and children have been effected by this organization. Just because you had a full term, healthy child, doesn't exempt you from what the March of Dimes has provided. This organization spends millions of dollars a year researching pregnancy and advising and creating new forms to provide the healthiest pregnancies for EVERY. SINGLE. PREGNANCY. So, with this said, the March of Dimes is a part of your life...Please find a way to give back. We all spend so much of our lives taking and not giving.
Since joining the March for Babies in 2010 and then becoming a committee member back in 2011 as well as a new team committee chair in 2012; I know I am helping more than just one person, one family, or even one community... I am saving a baby. Even if it feels like I am walking alone sometimes in this fight, it doesn't matter, I would keep fighting, even if I was on a one man team. This is where I decided on the quote for this year's walk as it applies to so much about Match for Babies, the fight for life and everyday challenges we face personally and world wide.
Words can express how much we appreciate and are thankful those that come out with us every year to support healthy pregnancies, research for prematurity & birth defects and give families, the community and world hope for the future. A special thank you goes to: Scott, Dawson, Nina, Danica, Amanda, Diane, Eric, Cooper, Carter, Kim, Carter (and not pictured: Kara, Alessa, Gavin, Curt, Karen & Jace).
A special thank you also goes out to every single person, family who made a donation, helped, supported Team Mileson Brother in any way. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.
As much as I want to take photos at events, the business of the day sneaks up on me, but here is a few keepers from this beautiful day! And for a rarity, I'm in most of them! The boys do have a mom after all! :)
And for fun, here is a peek back to 2010 when we joined March for Babies and were the ambassador family that year. Also attached is the speech that I wrote and through many tears managed to read to about 300 supporters. If you want you can still donate to March for babies at any time by following this link March for Babies and we have another great event this summer that take place August 17th at Target Field (see a Twins games and support March for Babies (it's really that easy) and this fall there is another event called, "Jail & Bail for Babies." Be sure to check those out (more information can be found on the link above). And I have also started a Winona March for Babies page on Facebook, so be sure to check that out as well!
To see the first year video click HERE
Below is the speech I wrote back in 2010. 4 years later, I still can't make it through it without some tears. I can't imagine life without kids.
Where am I? Who are all of these people? What is going on?
In labor? This can’t be happening… Wake me up, wake me up, someone please wake me up! This must definitely be a dream…No---you must have the wrong person…this kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like me.
November 28, 2009 changed our lives forever when our miracle arrived 11 weeks too soon weighing in at 3 pounds, 3 ounces and 16 inches long.
When I was a little girl I dreamt of meeting my prince charming, getting married and having lots and lots of babies! I met my prince charming in 2002 we were married on June 18, 2005. After 4 years of parenting practice with our two kitties and energetic Springer Spaniel we were elated to find out that we were going to be blessed with a baby boy.
Never did we ever expect the challenges we were about to face. Our son Harrison was expected to arrive on February 10, 2010. Life took an unexpected turn when he arrived nearly 3 months early. My husband and I were never so scared in our entire lives. The whole situation seemed so surreal.
I remember the first drive down to hospital to see our son the morning after he was born. I looked at my husband and said…this is the beginning of a very long road. As we arrived at the hospital we walked the long halls and road the elevator up to the 5 floor NICU, which would be home to our son for nearly 8 weeks.
I will always remember walking over to Harrison’s isolette for the first time and seeing this tiny baby fighting for his life. Tubes, lines and monitors covered his body. As parents we felt completely helpless. As a mother I blamed myself.
I had never been so angry at the world for what had happened…
As hours, days and weeks went by the reality of Harrison’s prematurity barreled in.…we stopped living the lives we once led. We had our life in the NICU and a life we were supposed to be living outside of those walls.
Life was a gigantic rollercoaster of emotions, struggles and gains. Set backs were inevitable and nothing could prepare you for reality of it all. We were afraid to celebrate gains because when something went well life would throw us a curve ball. I said to one of the nurses one day, “This place has made me the most un-trusting person.” Just when you think you have hit rock bottom, you are hit harder by a whirl-wind of challenges.
Harrison went from a ventilator, to c-pap to nasal prongs, and back to c-pap a half a dozen times. He underwent two blood transfusions and two rounds of drugs to help close the open valve in his heart. Next he faced issues with edema and was given several doses of diuretics to assist his breathing. Later struggles came with coordinating suck, swallow and breath during feedings and enduring countless periods of apnea and heart decelerations.
One step forward, two steps back. Despite the struggles, Harrison also made gains. As he continued to grow and mature, progress grew by leaps and bounds. Our 3 pound baby was now more than 5 pounds and feeding and breathing on his own.
Daily conversations with doctors went from when he goes home to he is going home. During the last two weeks in the NICU, the nurses used lecture Harrison and would say, “It’s time for you to go home.” It’s not that we wore out our NICU welcome…but indeed it was time to go home.
January 19, 2010 we walked the long halls and road the elevator to the 5th floor NICU for the last time. When we left the hospital that day, we left the hospital with our son.
Can we say for certain that our son would be here today without the help of March of Dimes?
No, we can’t. March of Dimes impacted the life of our son and family is so many ways.
Within minutes of birth Harrison was given surfactant. Surfactant keeps the air sacs in the lungs from collapsing making breathing easier in premature babies. The lungs are often underdeveloped and lack the production of surfactant. Receiving this treatment saves thousands of babies every year. Before the use of surfactant 10,000 babies died of respiratory distress syndrome each year. With the use of surfactant less the 1,000 babies die today. March of Dimes funded the research for this therapy.
The folic acid in prenatal vitamins has led to a decrease in birth defects, which is another contribution from the March of Dimes. New born screening tests including a hearing test have been made possible by the March of Dimes.
March of Dimes Advocacy for Preemies helps experts continue research for prevention for pre-term labor...so that more babies can be born at full term.
What can we do as individuals and families? Walk in support of this great organization. Spread the word---tell everyone about what March of Dimes has done. Ask for donations they won’t come to you, you have to go to them the worse somebody can say is no.
One day every baby will be born healthy.
Thank you March of Dimes!
Thank you, thank you again for supporting our team & March for Babies over these past 4 years!
18 & 19 Months.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
So it happened, no official 18 month post and no official 18 month photos. Second child syndrome and mom fail. I could blame the 6 days of rain we had and Miles bummed head from fighting with the side walk, but I won't... but they were really contributing factors :).
So much has changed in the last couple of months and we have done a ton of fun stuff, that will hopefully get blogged about when I get caught up with client sessions. For now I need to redeem myself with a real post about my baby who is growing up WAY to fast for my liking.
It's so hard to decide what to start with! I wish I had his current stats and 18 month checkup to post the official, official...but I had conflicting appointments and had to reschedule his appointment for the second week in June. However there is no doubt, he is our chunk. I did and unofficial weigh in for him at the beginning of last month and he was 25lbs. As far as height, I haven't the slightest prediction; I am just hoping he's on the growth chart at his next appointment! We tend to underachievers in the height/head department in our family. Right now he's wearing 18 months to 2T tops, 12-18 month pants, size 4/5 shoes and size 4 diapers.
He still loves food...But we are pretty sure he's put himself on a diet in last few weeks. I guess he's looking to start shaving off that baby chub this summer... Which is probably one of the saddest parts is losing that "baby look." Some of his favorite foods include fettuccini, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti (basically anything with noodles), mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries and most importantly fruit roll ups. I don't ever leave the house without one of those on hand anymore, especially if it's a grocery or Target shopping trip.
He really does have teeth under those gums after all! It's taken Miles months and months to get in all 4 top and bottom front teeth. I will say yesterday was official he got the last bottom tooth of the four on the bottom. It's something with the right side of his mouth that has been the slowest in getting teeth...He did look a little odd with teeth on only one side of mouth for about 2-3 months. Now to grand total those pearly whites up to 12 teeth in all!
So far, stats addressed, food, teeth, now lets talk fun stuff...
Imitation----he has this down to a T. OMG does he ever love to copy actions. When he does the actions to the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider," it's to die for cute. He even puts his own little spin (literally) on it. He prefers sound effects and hand gestures vs. copying words we say or names. There are some certain things we can make out that he says regularly, like "big truck," "plug," "more," "mamma," "dada," & "all done." Once in a while if you say a name, word, he will plain as day say it back to you and then refuse to repeat it again. I am certain he has said, "Harrison" 2-3 times...which if you asked me is pretty impressive considering the length of his name. The s-o-n comes out the clearest.
He has also picked up more on signing. We just added "thank you," to his signs a couple of days ago. "Please," "more," "eat," & "all done." He may have been a late signer, but is picking up more rapidly, which is fun to see and is a relief in communicating. He is so smart in knowing things you are asking or saying and participates in things meaningful most of the time. I feel bad as parent sometimes that your second born doesn't get that opportunity to be the "only." I say this because Looking back 3 years ago when Harrison was Miles age. Harrison had so much of that 1:1 learning. We are working on small tasks with Miles right now such as naming his body parts, identifying animals and their sounds. He is very interested in pictures, books, seeing, opening up and doing. I think he really likes being given direction and having a big brother to follow has been immensely helpful. We are also working on coordinating his balance a little more too...he trips and stumbles quite a bit, but is a master at those stairs (which isn't a surprise since he has 19 to work with in our home).
Something I wish would go away is separation anxiety. It's in it's prime. I rarely drop the kids off at daycare & pre-school anymore (I am the picker upper) but I did last week and man, I could not do this everyday (or I guess the 2 days a week he goes). I realize the crying stops soon after you leave, but man I was out of practice last week. My heart sank as I could still hear his cries up two flights of stairs. I am so glad this is your job daddy!
The fun stuff Miles loves are cars, trucks, tractors to push, balls, coloring (drawing with chalk), picking up things (ex. We picked up a whole Target bag of pine cones at the deer park last week), reading books (especially the touch ad feel ones), and playing outside. He also loves his blanket and plug dearly. Oh and I almost forgot...High fives, hugs and kisses are pretty fun too:)
He is our defiant young man. Overall I will say he is good listener, which is making the term defiant not so strong, but I assure you he is. :) Harrison handled the transition to a big brother well, in fact, it's been WAY better that I could have EVER imagined. However Miles must have that little brother annoyance itch. He can be downright MEAN to Harrison. There is not a day that goes by that Miles doesn't come up behind him, jump on his back (it looks like a wrestling move) & starts to yank at Harrison's hair, poke him in the eyes or try to bite him. I have nicked named him my little Bully. And if he doesn't get his way or get his way soon enough he picks up anything in his path and just chucks it. I do everything I can not to burst out in laughter watching him. He also likes to throw himself down on the floor in a full fledged toddler tantrum. Our trip to Target last week was a trip from "HELL." I banned him from there for a while. I am sure that didn't hurt his feelings any, but I guess it makes me feel better." Oh and he was banned from the library this week too, again which is a relief for me and does nothing for him. Basically we just have to been very choosy when we take him out, where we take him out and for how long. trust me, I am not making this sound worse than it is...it really is this much compilation from one thing to the next. Anyone who has had a toddler will certainly agree with this. But I will say, it's so hilarious when you tell him, "no" and he sticks out the bottom lip and puts down his head. I think I like his, "I've been naughty face" as much as his "I'm super cute face."
Apparently we did find out last week at Miles conferences that apparently we have two Miles... The sweet go with the flow Miles we send to daycare and our little Bully Miles at home. :)
So much has changed in the last couple of months and we have done a ton of fun stuff, that will hopefully get blogged about when I get caught up with client sessions. For now I need to redeem myself with a real post about my baby who is growing up WAY to fast for my liking.
It's so hard to decide what to start with! I wish I had his current stats and 18 month checkup to post the official, official...but I had conflicting appointments and had to reschedule his appointment for the second week in June. However there is no doubt, he is our chunk. I did and unofficial weigh in for him at the beginning of last month and he was 25lbs. As far as height, I haven't the slightest prediction; I am just hoping he's on the growth chart at his next appointment! We tend to underachievers in the height/head department in our family. Right now he's wearing 18 months to 2T tops, 12-18 month pants, size 4/5 shoes and size 4 diapers.
He still loves food...But we are pretty sure he's put himself on a diet in last few weeks. I guess he's looking to start shaving off that baby chub this summer... Which is probably one of the saddest parts is losing that "baby look." Some of his favorite foods include fettuccini, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti (basically anything with noodles), mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries and most importantly fruit roll ups. I don't ever leave the house without one of those on hand anymore, especially if it's a grocery or Target shopping trip.
He really does have teeth under those gums after all! It's taken Miles months and months to get in all 4 top and bottom front teeth. I will say yesterday was official he got the last bottom tooth of the four on the bottom. It's something with the right side of his mouth that has been the slowest in getting teeth...He did look a little odd with teeth on only one side of mouth for about 2-3 months. Now to grand total those pearly whites up to 12 teeth in all!
So far, stats addressed, food, teeth, now lets talk fun stuff...
Imitation----he has this down to a T. OMG does he ever love to copy actions. When he does the actions to the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider," it's to die for cute. He even puts his own little spin (literally) on it. He prefers sound effects and hand gestures vs. copying words we say or names. There are some certain things we can make out that he says regularly, like "big truck," "plug," "more," "mamma," "dada," & "all done." Once in a while if you say a name, word, he will plain as day say it back to you and then refuse to repeat it again. I am certain he has said, "Harrison" 2-3 times...which if you asked me is pretty impressive considering the length of his name. The s-o-n comes out the clearest.
He has also picked up more on signing. We just added "thank you," to his signs a couple of days ago. "Please," "more," "eat," & "all done." He may have been a late signer, but is picking up more rapidly, which is fun to see and is a relief in communicating. He is so smart in knowing things you are asking or saying and participates in things meaningful most of the time. I feel bad as parent sometimes that your second born doesn't get that opportunity to be the "only." I say this because Looking back 3 years ago when Harrison was Miles age. Harrison had so much of that 1:1 learning. We are working on small tasks with Miles right now such as naming his body parts, identifying animals and their sounds. He is very interested in pictures, books, seeing, opening up and doing. I think he really likes being given direction and having a big brother to follow has been immensely helpful. We are also working on coordinating his balance a little more too...he trips and stumbles quite a bit, but is a master at those stairs (which isn't a surprise since he has 19 to work with in our home).
Something I wish would go away is separation anxiety. It's in it's prime. I rarely drop the kids off at daycare & pre-school anymore (I am the picker upper) but I did last week and man, I could not do this everyday (or I guess the 2 days a week he goes). I realize the crying stops soon after you leave, but man I was out of practice last week. My heart sank as I could still hear his cries up two flights of stairs. I am so glad this is your job daddy!
The fun stuff Miles loves are cars, trucks, tractors to push, balls, coloring (drawing with chalk), picking up things (ex. We picked up a whole Target bag of pine cones at the deer park last week), reading books (especially the touch ad feel ones), and playing outside. He also loves his blanket and plug dearly. Oh and I almost forgot...High fives, hugs and kisses are pretty fun too:)
He is our defiant young man. Overall I will say he is good listener, which is making the term defiant not so strong, but I assure you he is. :) Harrison handled the transition to a big brother well, in fact, it's been WAY better that I could have EVER imagined. However Miles must have that little brother annoyance itch. He can be downright MEAN to Harrison. There is not a day that goes by that Miles doesn't come up behind him, jump on his back (it looks like a wrestling move) & starts to yank at Harrison's hair, poke him in the eyes or try to bite him. I have nicked named him my little Bully. And if he doesn't get his way or get his way soon enough he picks up anything in his path and just chucks it. I do everything I can not to burst out in laughter watching him. He also likes to throw himself down on the floor in a full fledged toddler tantrum. Our trip to Target last week was a trip from "HELL." I banned him from there for a while. I am sure that didn't hurt his feelings any, but I guess it makes me feel better." Oh and he was banned from the library this week too, again which is a relief for me and does nothing for him. Basically we just have to been very choosy when we take him out, where we take him out and for how long. trust me, I am not making this sound worse than it is...it really is this much compilation from one thing to the next. Anyone who has had a toddler will certainly agree with this. But I will say, it's so hilarious when you tell him, "no" and he sticks out the bottom lip and puts down his head. I think I like his, "I've been naughty face" as much as his "I'm super cute face."
Apparently we did find out last week at Miles conferences that apparently we have two Miles... The sweet go with the flow Miles we send to daycare and our little Bully Miles at home. :)
There is no doubt is he our daredevil, artsy, and snuggly guy. Thanks for this "one" photo you let me grab last night on the eve of your 19 month birthday. I love my Miles.
Easter Best.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Easter morning, it poured... but that didn't stop the Easter bunny from hiding eggs outside. The boys geared up in their sweats and rain boot to find get find those eggs. (Harrison was scoping them outside the window the whole time he was eating breakfast :). Once he was unleashed with his basket he was went wild and I was quick enough to get one whole shot of him during the hunt. But before we head outside, here is a few from Easter egg dying (Miles was still a little to young this year).
Thursday evening.
Easter Morning is here!
After the Easter dinner, still in our Easter Best (plus rain boots)---this happened.
Don't let the little guy in the blue fool you, he started this, so we just went with it...
Oh and here photo debut of my bread/veggie dip bunny we brought to brunch. Pinterest made this look easy... It wasn't. And they the tutorial was missing how to attach the eyes, teeth and nose, so I what came first to mind; I super glued them on :)
We hope you had a wonderful Easter. Our family has been through a lot over the last 6+ months...There has been a lot of days we have judged God, cursed what he has done to us. We are human, we do things we regret and God doesn't judge us for that, instead he forgives us.
We are still along way from what I would feel is normal or what I would like a new normal to feel like, but we are so blessed to have each other, our boys, our family, friends and even Violet :)
Peace & love from the Kelley's
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