Halloween 2011

Well, it was our first big Halloween... here's how it went.

We missed our church party, but went to our friend's, but Reid still didn't like it much... partly cuz of the costume drama.  We made this super cool Mater costume last year, but then Reid got super sick on Halloween, so we didn't use it.  He didn't even want to put it on.  Then about a month ago, we got it out and he drove Mater all over the house.  "Sweet!" I thought, "my kid actually likes the costume this year."  So we thought we try it again.  No, he didn't want to use it.  So we carried it around and trunk-or-treated at the church party.

Since that didn't go well, the day before Halloween we got out Reid's Halloween bucket and had him go "trick or treating" to each of us, so he could practice and get excited.  Well, he asked about it for the next 24 hours!

On actually Halloween was a Fall Festival for little kids at a local park.  I wasn't about to carry Mater, a baby and a sad toddler, so I put on some hole-y jeans and a flannel shirt and Reid's tool bet and called it good for the morning.  He ran around and had a blast... feeding a lion, putting into a nelephants trunk, and riding on the hay ride ("tractor ride").  Went to lunch with friends and came home and napped.  

I was foolishly still hopeful that Mater would be selected for the evening, but NOPE, he wasn't.  So we grabbed the tool belt and he was ready.  Our neighbors invited us to go with them, and I thought that would be better for him to see how it worked with other kids.  They had a blast.  Reid loved having other "guys" (non-adults) to follow.  He would say "ick o TREAT"... always screaming the treat part... it was hilarious.  He was also very good to say "thank you" and sometimes even a "bye" or "see you later".  He was the hit of the night.  He also got very excited about the moon, and saying hi to fellow trick or treaters that passed us.

Unfortunately, after the first scary house (and it was actually scary), he required mom to go with him up to the door from then on.  For the first few houses after a scary house, he would ask, "Scary?" and we would all reassure him it was ok.  I never made him go up to the door at the scary houses, but he still knew if it was a scary house just by passing it.  And some houses that weren't scary, but had Halloween sounds, still made him very cautious.

About halfway through the night he started slowing down, I finally figured out it was because his candy bucket was too heavy!  I started carrying it for him in between houses, and then he perked right back up.  But by the end, my neighbors, Reid, and I were all tired.  Matt stayed home with Weston and the dogs to hand out candy.  Weston was a champ and slept the whole time, doorbells and all, can't say the same for the dogs.  :)

When we got home, he asked for some nerds, which he loved and milk duds, which didn't last, and a lollipop.  Then he happily sat down watched Thomas while I got Weston to bed, and then he went to bed quite easily.

It was such a fun time for us to see Reid as he's growing up, interacting and participating more.  We had a great Halloween!

Is It Two Months Already?!

Well, month two was much more exciting! 

The first week were just enjoying getting back to normal life and even took it easy with General Conference weekend.  We just used the air mattress we had blown up for company and sat on it while we watched conference on the computer.

The following weekend my brother, his wife and four children came to visit.  They were here for 3 days total, but I think we had a lot of fun.  We visited, played games, went to the Nature and Science Center where we got to play in the dino pits, we rode on the train in the park downtown, we even were able to fit in seeing the bats come out at night.... and one of those days was Sunday!  I was very humored by my nephews who are 5 and 7 and all the questions they ask.  I gotta get ready for that age when kids absorb everything.  We are so grateful they took the time to come visit and meet Weston, it was a lot of fun!

(who would've thought watching bats come out at night would be so impressive)

 

(and yes, you do get "dropped on" we had a run for it when the flight path changed)

They left on a Tuesday morning, so we began the craziness of packing for a week and a half, and left for Arizona the next day.  Matt's brother was getting married on Friday.  We planned to do it in one day, but gave ourselves two days, just in case.  We did make it in one day.. one very long day.  It was rough from the first hour on, including missed turns, stressful pit stops.  Then the afternoon, things calmed down, but by evening Weston was DONE.  So we nursed, changed him, and drive into the sun with a crying baby.  Eventually he fell asleep, but the poor kid was just sick of the car seat.
Friday was the reception and the wedding, thanks to my sister who watch Reid all morning and my parents who came up to the temple to watch Weston.  That evening was a beautiful reception and lots of friends and family to visit with.
Saturday was Matt's sister's baby shower which was a blast, lots of girl time.  Plus our friends drove down from the Safford area and hung out with us all day.
Sunday was busy because we were able to bless Weston with all the family in town for the wedding.  Matt and I were busy being hosts, Weston was in heaven being passed around and loved, and Reid got to play with his best buddy Ryde.  It was so much fun, we had so many loved ones there, it is times like that that I realize how blessed I am.  I had tons of people there, and a bunch more who couldn't come.  I am so grateful for all the love and support we have.

Matt couldn't afford another day off work, so we stuck around all week.  Monday was a recovery day.  Tuesday - Friday were about trying to make visits, take care of our rental house, let tired children recover, and other various errands that just seemed to make the week fly.
Saturday we drove home and Weston slept and slept and slept!  We made great time, and it went really well.  Reid had been asking for about 3 days to go home, so he was a very happy boy.  Regardless of the craziness, we were so grateful for parents who hosted us and social things at there houses so that we could make the best of this trip with a 6-7 week old.

I don't know where last week went, but between playgroup, church callings, tired boys, Matt's long hours at work, doctor appointments, laundry and all that comes from a trip, the week flew by. 

This week is full of fevers, running noses and lack of sleeping.  I knew it would catch up to us, I am grateful that it waited until the craziness was over.

Weston's 2 month stats:
Weight: 12lb 4.5oz
Length: 24in (although, it wasn't quite that if you ask me)
Head: 39.5in
(I looked it up, Reid was the same weight, but over and inch shorter)
Sleeps 8-9 hours at night!
Thanks to cornstarch the diapers are no longer stressful, and I usually only get presents once a day!
Smiles always at mom, especially when he's crying cuz he's hungry and mom picks him up
Loves to smile and laugh instead of eat
Loves kisses and zberts on his cheeks and neck (I even got a full blown giggle!)
Is cooing and talking all the time
Has a fussy time of day (dinner to bed time)
Weston has become the sweetest boy ever and just chills and is patient with me
Doesn't love tummy time
Sleeps in his own room
Loves to watch his big brother play and will even give him smiles

(2 months old)

  (smiles for Grandma, 7 weeks old)

Reid's done some new things this month too: 

• With new visitors with different vocabularies around him for a month, his talking has improved so much.  Not only does he say more complete sentences, he is getting better and pronunciation (which really is a shame, I'm going to miss "nin-nows", a.k.a. windows).
• He has started copying us... we are learning that we have to be careful what we say around the house!
• He is now learning how to say prayers, which brought tears to my eyes the first time.  (always has been good at folding arms, now we are working on closing our eyes... very tightly! hahaha!)
• He is becoming a more experienced and brave climber on furniture, playgrounds, it doesn't matter, he'll climb it.
• After going to a play date, he learned about Thomas the Train, and now it is ALL about trains.  He loves them... he spends hours each day making car trains, or toy trains, or something that isn't a train into a train.  He still loves cars too though.  He pretty much like moving vehicles.
• He has started asking for diaper changes when he actually needs them.  Oh boy, guess I gotta figure out how to potty train!
• The jealousy is just beginning.  Mom is the favorite right now, and there are times he wants me when I'm holding Weston, but cries until I put Weston down and pick him up.  It is sweet but hard.
• But on the up side, he's very sweet and always tells me when Weston is crying or if he is sad, and then he'll let me go take care of him.  Such a good big brother!
• He can count to ten and is getting better at counting to twenty
• He knows almost the whole alphabet in capital letters, we are now working on lower case.
• My favorite is that he has started to sing songs.  Sometimes just a word or two, but he just sang 1 entire line from Bob the Builder all morning, it was so cute!

So that was month two... Phew!  I think I need a nap.  :)

The First Month with Two

The first month of Weston's life was full of all the normal adjustments and recoveries required with child birth and additions to family.  We survived it thanks to AMAZING parents!  My parents were able to stick around for two weeks and cook, clean, babysit, purchase absurd amounts of food, and repair various things around our house!  Matt's parents only had a couple days, but I still got laundry folded, meals cooked and paid for, and entertainment for Reid!  It was a blast.  We even had a special visit from Matt's cousin who had a business trip here, which is fun cuz he was MY friend in high school, before I even met Matt.

We are so happy to have Weston here and have been working on adjusting, so this is late, but I want to write a few things down before I forget them.

1 Month Stats:
Weight: 10lb 2oz
Length: 22in
Head: 38in
Sleeps 5-6 hours at night (bless you child!)
Smiles but not always at us
Great eater
Spits up a ton
Gives me presents in his diaper almost every diaper change
Had the worst diaper rash and I struggled to figure out the trouble.  (at this point I tried changing my diet to help, but nothing)
Reid liked to tickle his toes and hands
Reid would check on Weston first thing in the morning, but other than occasional tickles, he didn't really care.
Everything else is a blur  :)

 3 weeks old

1 month old

One super fun thing we were able to do with Matt's parents (which completely wore me out though) was going to the Old Pecan Street Fall Festival.  Legos had a station there were you could race your cars.  Needless to say, Reid LOVED it.  There were some great naps had that day.