Prepare for a long one!

All three of my boys are napping (amazingly at the same time) so I actually have a few minutes to post. I feel like so much has happened around here since the last time I wrote. We had 6-7 inches of snow this past Tuesday, a WONDERFUL visit from aunt Shelly, a well-baby doctors visit with Kellen, and a "baby" to "big boy" change in Cole. I don't think any of us really believed the weather forcast of snow that would actually stick and stay around for a couple days, but boy were we all wrong! I really am not a fan of snow because I hate the cold, but I had forgotten how beautiful it was. The woods behind our house looked like a postcard. I was so thankful that Justin's store closed and he was home with us, because he was able to take Cole out while I ran back and forth between taking pictures of them and checking on Kellen inside. Although we didnt have adequate "snow attire" for Cole, we bundled him up the best we could and let him play for a little while because he may not see snow again for years! He had so many layers on he could barely move! I put ziplock bags over his shoes because he doesnt have any that are water proof (haha). He had fun for a few minutes, but it wasnt long before he started getting soaked through his clothes and he walked over to the door and pointed inside. We took the hint and went back inside. He has absolutely amazed us the last couple weeks. He went from saying just a few words, to at least attempting to say more than I can count. One day he woke up and just started using/repeating common words we use, like "nap" "snack" "night night" "bed" "teeth" "eye" "bath" "kiss" "thank you". He doesnt speak clearly yet, but it was like all of a sudden the light bulb went off and he started using so many words. He has also figured out how to run and practices every night when we get him out of the tub. Something about being naked gives him a huge burst of energy and he escapes from you and runs back and forth down the hall laughing and squealing. It is so darn cute...I just hope he finds running naked less invigorating over the next few years;-) Or at least maybe he'll be a little more discrete about it. He is also becoming quite good at his puzzles, pointing to his body parts when asked, and putting shapes into a sorter. There is also one body part that he likes to touch and crack up about that Mommy doesnt find quite as humorous as Daddy does! He still loves books and being read to, and can point to several objects or animals when you ask him where they are. Occasionally he'll even mimic me when I make animal noises. The monkey is my favorite! He says "who haha"! He is not only starting to mimic us (guess we better start really watching what we say!) but also the radio. We have it on a lot of the time in the evenings and on weekends and we will catch him "humming" or mimicing tunes of songs. His favorite is the Beyonce song about "if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it" when she sings the "oh oh oh, oh oh uh oh" part! Other fun things he's doing lately are helping burp the baby, making him clap, helping put clothes from the washer to the dryer, trying to sweep into the dust pan, blowing on his food when it's hot and he still considers it his JOB to make sure Kellen keeps his paci in his mouth (whether he wants it or not!) Oh and he likes to wink at you, but apparently both eyes are better than one! And aunt Shelly taught him how to bump his cup with yours..."cheers!" One quick funny story: I was doing pilates yesterday with Cole playing in the room and I looked over and Cole was laying on his back with his legs up in the air trying his hardest to do the scissor motion with his legs like I was. I swear he cracks me up!

So, now on to sweet Kellen....or should I say "drama king Kellen." For the most part he is very laid back and content, but he sure has his moments of being very dramatic. When he decides to really scream, I think our neighbors can hear him! Justin likes to pick on him and say that he is not as "happy" of a baby as Cole was, but I dont mind a bit. Honestly I think he deserves to be in the spotlight every now and then, and if he wants to wail...then go for it buddy! He puts up with a lot, so I have a lot of compassion and understanding when he decides he wants the attention for a change. Plus there is nothing wrong with being a little moody every once in awhile, he might possibly get that from me:-) He celebrated his one month birthday this past week by smiling at both his Daddy and me. He has the sweetest smile, and craters for dimples! Just like his big brother had at his age, Kellen has clogged tear ducts which means the little hole on his bottom eyelid right at the corner of his eye isnt draining his tears. It is very common in newborns, and they almost always grow out of it by 6 months. Basically they just cant absorb their tears, so their eyes are really watery. The complication with this is that their eyes can become infected and have yellow goopy drainage. My boys are lucky, and both got this. The treatment is erythromycin ointment; the same stuff they get as soon as they are born. Cole's cleared up immediatly with the erythro, but Kellen's are taking a few days. It's looking much better though. He was 5 weeks old at his doctors appt and weighed 9lbs 11oz which is 40th percentile. Justin and I take bets every time the kids get weighed, and I must say that I have won EVERY single time. I'm not sure how I do it, but I'm always within a couple ounces. He was 21.75 inches long (50%) and his head circumference was 37cm (20%). Our pediatrician said he looks perfect, but I already knew that :-) Cole didnt have a 1 month appt (he was at our Raleigh pediatrician office and they dont have one month check ups), so I cant compare. Our next appt is 2 months. Kellen is already half an inch longer than Cole was at 2 months. NBA maybe? Here are some pictures from the last week or two.

No we arent forcing him to exercise, he LOVES the treadmill!

Happy One Month Kellen!

Runny red eyes :-(

Is this not the sweetest thing!

I'm ready to go mom!

The house

Can you tell he's saying "cheese"

Who's who?

Just for fun....Cole is first, then Kellen and alternating all the way down!

Just some pictures

I don't really have much to say tonight, I just wanted to post some pictures. This always takes so much longer than I anticipate, so I'll post more soon. I still want to put some up here of Cole when he was Kellen's age. I also have some really cute one's of Amanda and Brandon's visit with their twins.

Does he not look like the proudest big brother?

Can't get enough...

Spagetti night...

You can't help but love him!

SnOOOzin...

please be gentle

Things being a mother of a newborn and 15 month old have made me think or say...

1. please be gentle
2. no, dont kick the dog
3. please dont put the paci in his eye
4. please be gentle
5. have i brushed my teeth today?
6. open your eyes when you walk please
7. has the dog been out to pee today?
8. have I peed today?
9.please be gentle
10. did that fart really just come from him?
11. honey you change that one, i got this one
12.how does his butt rash look?
13. please be gentle
14. i wonder how long that puke has been on my shoulder
15. we cant seriously be out of diapers already
16. did i already put conditioner in my hair?
17. PLEASE be gentle
18. leave him alone, he's sleeping
19. dont pull out his paci
20. poor kellen... :-)

Two healthy boys

Both my baby boys had well check-ups today. Cole weighed 24lbs and was 31.5 inches tall. He still plots right on the 50th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. Kellen weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 21 inches tall. He will be 3 weeks old on Wednesday, and plotted 25th percentile for weight and head circumference and 50th percentile for height. It has been so fun to compare the boys. Kellen seems so much longer, although he only measured half an inch taller than Cole at this age. His hands and feet are much bigger, and fingers and toes longer than Cole's were. He is going to be our quarterback, and Cole our linebacker (says Daddy.) They were only 2 oz different at birth and weighed the exact same when we left the hospital. Both were very jandice and had to have follow up visits for it. Cole was 8lbs 2oz at 2 weeks and Kellen was 2 oz more at almost 3 weeks.

We asked the doctor about how many words a 15month old should be saying. Par for the course, I'm not worried, but it bothers Justin that Cole isnt very verbal. The doctor said 5-10 words is normal. I'd say Cole says 5 or 6 that we can understand, but they certainly arent clear. The doctor said that is normal, and that he should really start talking more by 18 months. He understands sooooo much more than he says. It amazes me every day how much he understands. Although Kellen is a little congested sounding at night, both boys have miraculously avoided getting my cold. Knock on wood! I think I'm FINALLY over it myself.

Cole was so funny on the way home from our appt this morning. I swear he is the funniest thing ever! He was starting to fall asleep, but we were only like 5 min from home so Justin turned around and joked with him about not falling asleep yet. I turned around to look at him too and his eyes slowly faded and shut. Justin made a comment about "...and he's out" or something like that and as soon as Cole heard that a little smirk appeared on his face. I said "is he awake and faking it?" Then he peeked open one eye and busted out laughing! I guess you had to be there, but it was like he knew we were saying he should wait to go to sleep so he faked falling asleep and then peeked to see if we were watching. Of course, Justin and I cracked up too, and then it was a game. But the funniest part was he would really exaggerate the falling asleep part. He didnt just close his eyes, he would get still and let his eye lids slowly fall like he was really sleeping. Then you could see him trying not to smile, then an eye would peek open and he would crack up.

The best was to describe my life right now is that Cole and Kellen simply make it better. They make me proud, make me smile, and still amaze me that I am at least halfway responsible for their existence. My plan for tonight is to find some pictures of Cole at Kellen's age and post them side by side so stay tuned!

Aren't I forgetting something?

I did something tonight that I NEVER do. I went to the grocery store and to pick up dinner by myself. I always do my shopping during the day, and so obviously I have kids with me. We decided we wanted Chinese food for dinner tonight and Justin was walking out the door to go pick it up when I excitedly (I know, silly) said that I would go. He looked at me like I was crazy because I hate driving at night, and I'm usually the one to stay with the kids. (PS, saying "kids" is still a little crazy!) I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I went somewhere by myself (besides work) and thought a quiet drive would be nice. It really was relaxing to get out for a few minutes and be by myself. I felt so strange getting in and out of the car without getting someone else out too! It was amazing how quickly I got in and out of the grocery store! I'm so used to "chatting" with Cole or singing songs in the car, that it really felt strange to just listen to the radio (my station, not sing-a-long kids music!) and relax. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was dialing the house on my way home to check on the kids and Justin made fun of me saying I should get off the phone and enjoy my last few minutes of quiet before I got home. Haha. So even though I felt like I was forgetting something the whole trip, it was a nice little break. Here are a few pictures from today. This first one is the boys watching Baby Einstein. Cole looks sad for some reason, but really he is just enthralled in the TV. I stared at the one of Cole in the swing forever trying to figure out why something looked different. I realized that it was because he actually looks more like me in this picture than Justin...that is RARE!