Allow Me to Give You The Bird

Ok, that's maybe a semi-inappropriate title. Or maybe it's completely inappropriate. (My apologies if I've just offended anyone. This also assumes people still read my blog, which given how inactive I've been here lately, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm only writing for myself here.)

But look at how cute this bird is!!

So, we've been having troubles with sleeping schedules (with both boys!) for a while--which has led me to be so inactive here on this blog.

And yet the days just seem to fly by!! (Ha! Another bird pun!)

You'll have to bear with me, as this might be a hefty update.

Ok. So.

Halloween has come and gone. And although this holiday is one of our favorites, we didn't have much time to plan and execute awesome Halloween costumes/activities. So for a couple months, I kept my eye out for an awesome costume for the boys (or even an awesome costume idea). But like the procrastinator I am, I didn't really get proactive about anything until the day of our ward's trunk-or-treat.

Luckily, I found what I thought was the most awesome costume ever for Rich.

Check it out:

It's a dinosaur. Rich is riding a dinosaur! It's the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Plus, I thought he'd love running around playing in it.


Turns out, Rich hated the costume. Refused to wear it. Begged to be freed from it. Cried when I didn't get him out fast enough.

(This pic is blurry because Rich was so anxious to be out of the dinosaur. Or frog, as Richie called it.)

We ended up going costume-less to the trunk-or-treat. But Rich still got candy anyway.

So, back to Target the (totally awesome) dinosaur costume went.

In the mean time, I got an email from Old Navy about a one-day only costume sale. I decided to check it out--and we hit the jackpot. We got the last 2T-3T costume left in the store.

But Rich LOVED it. He couldn't wait to wear his new jacket. It's one of his favorite items of clothing now. (It was totally worth the blisters I got carrying around Leo's carseat while we hunted around the store looking for the costumes.)

He spent all day Halloween in his costume.

Leo--was going to be reprising the role of Professor Plum. But he was a pretty sleepy (and/or fussy) boy both the day of the trunk-or-treat and the night of Halloween. So, Leo went dressed as a baby.

(Or as my friend Carly put it, a silkworm. Which is perfect. The early bird gets the worm, no?)

Totes adorbs. (PS, I had been dressed as a fashion blogger for Halloween earlier in the day, but do you know how constricting that was for nursing/making dinner/caring for a sick husband/handing out candy/chasing after a toddler/carrying a baby/etc.? No wonder I'm pretty much fashionless at the moment. Give me a t-shirt and pants any day.)

Ok ok. Back to the updates.

My sister came to visit us, just as Tyler caught some terrible cold that knocked him out of commission. Then Rich caught the bug. Then I did. And Leo. Hopefully Marilyn (or Aunt M) was spared. But having her here was a godsend. I don't know how I would have survived the last week without her help. And Rich LOVED getting to play with M. He's been asking for her/about her ever since she left.

Not only did M help with the babysitting, but she took Rich trick-or-treating while I finished making dinner. Then we went back out for a few minutes so I could see Rich go around and trick-or-treat. And boy am I glad that I did. Rich was just so sweet. He's too little to be demanding and just so sweet. He loved seeing so many kids out and about. And he loved knocking on doors. He was more interested in people's pets than their candy. And hearing his little voice say, "Gankoo (thank you)" at each house was priceless. "Gankoo, M. Gankoo, Mommy." I just love that little boy.

Ok, moving on.

Rich has been very into stickers and coloring lately.

And Leo is starting to show interest in his toys, too!

Notice Richie in that diaper box? He's actually inside that box coloring.

Best. Toy. Ever.

Anyway. These boys keep me busy. And some days are harder than others. But we're having fun along the way.

Besides. This face. I can't even.

Ok. Goodnight, all. (Anyone?)

Two months!

I'm sorry, what? I have a two-month-old? 

Didn't I just give birth, like, yesterday? 

I can not believe how quickly the time seems to be going by. I swear time moves faster now than it ever has before. (It especially feels this way at night. It's like I blink and it's time to get up again.)

But alas, time does go by.

So let's talk about Leo.

As of Monday (at his two-month check-up), Leo was 11 lbs 11 oz and 22.25 inches long. Awesome, right? So good to see he's growing.

Leo still prefers being held to anything else, but he's getting more comfortable being in a swing, on the floor, or in his vibrating chair. (And as of today, his Bumbo. I don't think he's quite ready for the Bumbo yet, but a couple minutes of practice are good for him.)

He hates tummy time. 

Leo has such a sweet smile. He loves looking into people's faces and interacting with them. He'll coo, give half-smiles, or big bare-gum grins (those are the best).

Leo does okay sleeping. We're still doing a late-night and mid-night feeding. And sometimes an early morning feeding. I've tried to help him be better scheduled, but he hasn't taken to a schedule as well as Rich did. But, every day is a chance to try again. 

We also got Leo an angled bassinet-type sleeper. I think he likes it better than the pack and play. (Soon we'll be moving Rich to a twin bed, and giving Leo the crib. Wish us luck. Right now, Leo is in our room, but once he's doing better sleeping, I want to move him into Rich's room. Any tips or advice on these bedtime transitions is welcome.)

I know I've said it before, but Rich really does love Leo. Whenever Leo starts crying, Rich always says, "Uh-oh, Leo!" or "Leo, what's wrong?" Or, Rich will start singing for Leo, or he'll try to rock Leo (if Leo is in anything that moves). He gives Leo kisses more readily than he'll give me kisses.

And Rich loves pointing out the different body parts on Leo that he recognizes. (Eyes, ears, mouth, toes, feet, hands, etc.)

And, you know what? Leo takes it all in stride (most of the time). 

See, he knows something's coming.

But secretly, I think Leo likes the attention.

Anyway, happy two months, Leo!! We love you!!!

Richie and the ABC's

Rich has recently learned the ABC song, and he sings it constantly.

In fact, he can be found doing one of two things at any given point in any day these days--he's either coloring or singing. Or both.

At any rate, Rich always sings when we are driving in the car. His songs of choice are the ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (And because the tune for both songs is the same, he sometimes switches between the two mid-song.) It's adorable. I love hearing him sing. And he loves singing.

Check him out:



Love that little boy.

The Absentee Blogger

I know, I know, I really have been slacking here, still. For a while, my excuse has been that I also keep a journal in addition to this blog, so updating the blog hasn't had to be a top priority. Except, confession time: since Leo's birth, I haven't been doing so well in that journal.

'Cause here's the thing: this whole newborn and toddler adjustment has been hard! I mean, I knew it would be a rough transition, but I didn't anticipate how difficult some things would be. (For instance, I really didn't anticipate how hard it would be for me to hear Leo cry. Rich's cries as an infant didn't bother me--in fact, I remember thinking they were cute. So hearing him cry never stressed me out. But with Leo, anytime he cries, I have to check myself to refrain from getting stressed.)

Now, to be fair, some things have gone a lot better than I ever dreamed they would. Like Rich's adjustment to having a new baby around all the time. Rich LOVES it. He wants to be involved with everything Leo's doing. And he always offers to share whatever he's doing with Leo--whether that's snacks or food or anything. It's been a lot of fun for me to watch Rich love on his little brother. (Especially when Rich gives Leo kisses.)

But I know. You guys are really here for pictures.

So check this out: The top picture is Rich when he was a couple months old. The bottom picture is Leo, yesterday. Turns out they look more alike than I initially thought.

And we've managed to have a few precious moments amidst the hard stuff:

And did I mention that Rich just wants to be doing whatever Leo is doing? (He even cries when Leo cries . . . yay?)

Anyway. As hard as things have been, I know they will get easier, eventually. And I know that at some point I'll get some sleep again. In the meantime, Tyler has really been amazingly helpful and supportive. I do not know how I could handle all of this without him.

Until next time, whenever that may be . . . ;)

Swingin' Without Rain

So, as many of you know, Portland can be pretty rainy sometimes.

But sometimes, it can be BEAUTIFUL. And on these beautiful days, I try to get the Richie outside somehow. A few days ago, this meant that we hit up Cook Park for about an hour, and Rich had his first (enjoyable) swinging experience.

I mean just look at this face. If this doesn't say, "I love swings," then I don't know what does.

Haha. Just kidding.

This is the face that loves swings. (Sorry for the strange angle. Rich's head is not quite this oblong in real life.)

No but seriously, swinging pictures are the best pictures. Richie makes the best faces while swinging.

I encourage you to look at Grant's faces as well. (If you click on the picture, it will make it bigger, and easier to check out all the cute faces in these photos.) Isn't Grant such a cutie?

These two boys have such good dads.

(Thanks for indulging my whim to go to the park, you guys. It really was awesome.)

A Boy and His Dad

Rich loves being with McKay and McKenna and Grant. He roams about the apartment all day every day asking for "Kay" and "Kenna." And he loves being a part of whatever "Gwan" (usually, Rich actually refers to Grant as "Baby") is doing.

Funny side story: today, McKenna left sometime during the afternoon to run a couple errands. About an hour after she left, Rich and I made our way to Target so that I could pick up a few things. While we were out at Target, Rich kept asking after "Kenna." I told him a few times, "Kenna isn't here. She's running errands, but we'll see her at home." But lo and behold, as we were browsing the candy aisle, who should come around the corner, but "Kenna" herself! McKenna and I were surprised, and Rich was simply thrilled to see her.

Anyway. Where I really want to go with this post is to talk about (again) how much Rich really loves his daddy. He might be big fans of "Kay," "Kenna," and "Gwan," but his heart really lies with his daddy.

And I have picture proof.

Tyler recently blogged about dozing off with Richie in his lap. I think it's pretty clear that Rich enjoyed the arrangement as much as Tyler did.

Rich just soaks up the time he gets to spend with Tyler. And as much as he asks after his extended family, he is constantly asking about his Daddy. (In fact, every time we leave the apartment to run errands, Rich gets excited and starts talking about Daddy. I think that all the times we picked Tyler up from school have made Rich think that if Daddy isn't home and we're getting in the car, we must be headed out to find him.)

I really just love watching the bond between my boys grow. And I'm excited to see what will happen when we add another little boy into the mix. Somehow, I think it's going to be pretty awesome.

Yogurt Lovin'

Rich isn't the biggest fan of milk. He won't drink it straight, and it's only recently that he'll eat cereal with milk.

So how do we get him his dairy, you ask? String cheese and yogurt!

Now, Rich feeding himself string cheese is no problem. But feeding himself yogurt can be a little bit crazy.

See?

But he loves to try to feeding himself. And he is so proud of himself when he gets to. For the longest time, he had no interest in forks or spoons. But finally, he's starting to realize that he can do more with these utensils we've been giving him than throw them around or bang them on the table.

So yes, I know that many eighteen-month olds can feed themselves already, and we're a little behind on that milestone, but we'll get there. Hopefully before kindergarten. :)