Trying to get things down Connor style

When Connor is trying to reach something that he wants (not necessarily needs or is on the approved list by me), he has an intuitive approach. As an fyi, the items he is trying to reach are on the couch. On this day, he wanted this book. Generally books are fine but this one is not "toddler" friendly (has pages that rip and tear).

So, his first step is to reach out and grab the pillow and throw it to the ground. When that doesn't work and after some whiny and grunty noises, he starts banging on the couch in what I can only assume is his master plan that it will just roll to him. To date, the banging hasn't worked for him but it is so nice to see his desire to reach things. This often leads to tears and I try to reassure him why he can't have the book that can tear or generally the electronics but it doesn't stop him from repeating his plan.

Letting us know that nap time is OVER

The boys have been in between taking 1 and 2 naps per day and if they do not get down before 11 a.m., they have decided that they won't take a nap in the morning. This kind of creates a problem when you have 2 tired boys that are not interested in eating. And, it isn't easy when Jackson will nap for hours on end and Connor is stuck on the 2 hour plan even though he needs more time.

The boys have started throwing their "beloved" plush out of the crib to let us know that the nap is over.



It is slightly problematic for Connor when Jackson "eggs" on the throwing of things over the crib and he wants his penguin back. This pic shows off how happy that Connor is when he realizes that someone is going to pick up his cast away. I have never heard such horrible cries out of Connor UNTIL, that is, he can't reach his penguin that he threw out of the crib :( Jackson has started to hold off throwing his frog blanket because he knows that there is a possibility he might not get it back.

Mission: Free the Frog

The object of Jackson's affection and teething pal:



We have discovered in the past couple of months just how attached that Jackson is to his frog and that he uses him as a teether. For a considerable period of time in the fall, the boys were obsessed with turkey meatballs and Michael would always complain that the house and the boys ALWAYS smelled like them.

Also, we finally realized that Jackson was using his frog blanket as a teether and that was why his frog smelled so bad. So, I can only assume that the odor we were smelling was the meatball that was on his frog. Yuck!!

The boys are not allowed to take their lovies (frog and penguin) out of the house and we prefer not to let them take them out of their bedroom but sometimes, this is not an option. Jackson has made it clear that he can not just let his frog sit in the crib while he was waiting for either his or Connor's diaper or clothes changes.

Some insight into the love that a boy has for his frog:



He will cry if he can't reach him and gets so excited when he finally gets his hand on him. Jackson gets this tense shaking head and face with the cute lips which is his "i'm excited" face. Anybody that sees it for the first time laughs because it kind of looks like he is having a seizure. He obviously isn't but it is super funny to see and we know how happy that he is.

Milk in a cup for breakfast

The boys have had 2 successful weeks of milk in a cup for their bottle prior to dinner so I decided it was time to start for breakfast. Once we hit the 2 week mark, we will be looking to remove the nighttime bottle. The only problem that we are running into is finding a cup that holds more than 5 oz. Jackson and Connor generally take 8 ounces in the morning and evening. We squeezed 6 oz into the cup and need to find something larger for the nighttime..

Connor's sweet kisses

Connor has been giving his version of kisses as of late. If you ask for a kiss or give him smooch noises, he will lean his head over and move towards mine or Michael's awaiting lips. He has started to do open mouths, which we are not encouraging :) But, it is the sweetest just like our Connor!!

Tooth # 4

After three teeth showed up in less than a week for Connor, the 4th arrived without a lot of fuss. He was still recovering from the others and based upon the size of the top 2 teeth, there was no surprise that he was incredibly grumpy and actually had me regretting whether or not staying at home would be a good thing. Here is a picture of his showing off his top teeth. He's catching up to Jackson slowly but surely (always at his own speed).

Teething much

To state that Connor has been teething lately would be a gross understatement. His teeth are probably double the size of Jackson's so it is definitely understandable why he was so irritable as they surfaced. For as long as we can recall, Jackson has been drooling. And, when we say drool, we mean DROOL. His shirts are covered within an hour or so of getting changed.

I gave Connor a Healthy Times biter biscuit to finish off his lunch and it took him 20 minutes to "wear" the biscuit down to the point of actually being able to take a bite. He wouldn't let go and since it was such a chore, it was oozing all over the place. Our sweet Connor surfaced after a wipe down but it was an hour or so after he started. He actually growled at me when I tried to help him break it down. It was absolutely hysterical and helped solidify why staying at home was the right decision because I couldn't imagine missing such a display!!

Drinking MILK out of a cup

During our last doctor's appointment, Jackson and Connor's pediatrician encouraged us to start eliminating ALL bottles except for their night time bottle. I knew that it was going to have to happen and had fears that we were never going to able to wean them off of a bottle and am sure that I am not the only parent. I was mostly concerned about using a certain cup for milk and separate one for juice and water. After some research and failed attempts with their water cup, I selected the NUK cup that Connor is holding. Unfortunately, this cup only holds 5 ounces. But, regardless of the number of ounces, it was well received. And, that is all that matters. One down, 2 to go. Wish us luck!!

Jackson, our Friendly Ghost

Both Jackson and Connor have and continue to show signs of eczema and their pediatrician has instructed us to only give them baths every couple of days to help protect their skin. So, when it is bath time, the boys are incredibly excited. Jackson, in particular, realizes immediately what is going on and and starts pinching me in what I can only assume is an instruction to hurry up with taking his clothes off and if he is not pinching me, he is trying to use whatever leverage he can get to catapult himself into the tub. Connor is a lot calmer and can wait to get in and generally is willing to get out before Jackson, which helps me out if I make the "bold" decision to give them a bath without Michael.

So, on one of those solo bath attempts, I opened the door for Jackson and he walked off. I reached down to pick up Connor and started to follow our little ghost, a/k/a Jackson in a hooded bath towel. He is so agile and careful that the towel, which is longer than him, never once created a problem with walking the length of the hall into the nursery. After securing them in their nursery, I ran for the camera to capture our little ghost.

SAHM

My last day at Frank, Frank & Scherr, LLC (at this point in my life) was this past Wednesday, January 12, 2011. In the process of trying to find a replacement for Kim and Christine, it became very clear that the best decision for our family was to stay at home with the boys. I had off the last two weeks in December and realized that it was a lot of fun to be around the boys and how unfairly frustrated that I was with them on my days off. I was constantly in a rush and nobody was getting my best effort and most importantly in this equation was Jackson and Connor. They have become sooo much fun to be around and are learning new things daily. Anybody that we would have hired would have been fine BUT I couldn't have a total stranger/employee find Connor's first tooth or see his first step.

The decision for me to return to work after the boys were born came very easily to me. I knew that feeding, changing diapers and putting babies down for naps every couple of hours would have been too monotonous. So, work provided me with an outlet to interact with adults. Now that they are so much more interactive, I couldn't imagine being anywhere other than here. So, we are off on a new adventure!!