Play Trains / Christmas

We had a great Christmas!  My Christmas started a little early around 5am when Weston woke up to eat, but like the champ that he is, he went straight back to sleep.  Then just before 7am a little toddler came in.  Matt and I did our best to be excited to get up.  Reid still didn't quite get what Christmas morning was all about. Well, it didn't take long, he was so sweet to wait his turn while Mom and Dad took turns opening presents.  He was happy to play with the toys he had already gotten in between each new present.
 
Our extended family was so generous with our gifts... we even spoiled ourselves a bit with a new Blu-Ray player and the entire Harry Potter collection on Blu-Ray.  But the main event was the train set!  Santa (with the help of my sister) gave Reid a basic figure 8 train track set.  Little did we know Grandma was also in cahoots with Santa and she gave Reid a Thomas and a James train!  He was so happy.  He played with the trains ALL day on Christmas.  We even tried to watch the new Cars movie and Reid lost interest in about 10 minutes and went back to the trains!  He's a boy in every aspect.  The most common phrase in our house that week was "Play Trains?"

 

Weston woke up when we were close to ending, and we opened up his presents as well.  Then we took some time to enjoy our breakfast casserole that I made the night before and then headed upstairs to get ready for church.  There was some protesting when it was time to get ready for church and to leave for church... but he got through it.  Church was great and it was fun to see all our friends dressed up so spiffy for the Christmas day.

When we got home he played a little and then it was nap time for all.  Except Weston didn't get that memo and didn't let mommy get her Christmas afternoon nap.  But alas, all is still well.

Then we had a yummy dinner of pork roast, cheesy potatoes, salad, and strawberry jello.  Shortly after we finished dinner, our friends came over to wish us a good Christmas and leave us some "brownies from a jar".

Such a fun holiday.  We did miss seeing our families, I did call my parents and talk to my brother and sister, and Matt's family skyped with us the night before.  However, staying home and taking it easy allowed us to rest and reflect on Christ and why we celebrate Christmas. 

(our small hand-me-down tree with all the presents)

 (Matt gave a beautiful the Christmas story lesson on Christmas Eve)

 (the after math)

It was a wonderful day!

Baby 2: 3 and 4 Months Old

Weston @ 3 months
- Weston has started to giggle, specifically when you change his clothes.  I don't know what is so funny, but he just cracks up.
- He loves being tickled on his cheeks and neck.
- He loves it when he gets attention
- He will not sleep unless his arms are swaddled.  (That works ok for these cold months, we'll see how next summer goes.)
- Weston outgrew most of his 3 months clothes!  I can't believe I'm already putting 6 months clothes on this guy.  We compared pictures of Reid and Weston the other day, and Weston is definitely in bigger clothes in the pictures of the same age.

Weston @ 4 months

- He's gone 10 hours straight sleep multiple nights, but sometimes goes back to 7-8 hours, then back to 8-9 hours.
- He has really started responding to us, he loves to plays games.  If he makes a sound, and you make a sound, then he makes a sound, he starts to really smile for you.  If you start to tickle him, he'll giggle each time, then if he hears you laughing, he'll start giggling too, even if you aren't tickling him.
- He's a home body.  He doesn't sleep well out in public.  And is only ok if he can see mom. (wondering if the car seat cover is going to last much longer)
- He also loves the quietness of home.  When it is really noisy and chaotic, he can't seem to settle down at all.  From the time he was born he couldn't sleep with loud noises.  Some people claim you can train this out of them... but he has always been this way.
- Comments from others:
"Wow, he looks just like Reid"
"He sure looks like your family"
"Reid and Weston definitely look like brothers"
 .... Sure I hear the obligatory, he's cute, but he really is!
- He's a momma's boy.  Both my boys are which is tricky.
- Weston is eating 6 times a day, giving me "present" diapers once a week (but he's cranky if he goes that long), and still is spitting up a bunch (some days not so much, other days it never stops)
- He's adjusting to Reid noises.  He actually has calmed down a few times once Reid starts making a racket with his toys or stomping, but he seems to know when if there are strangers around making noise too
- Gives the BEST smiles when you go in to pick him up after sleeping, super open mouthed
- Starting sticking his tongue out.  I can decide if it feels funny or he's trying to be silly

It's cuter than this, I promise... still trying to get cute pic of it

STATS:
Weight:  14lb 7.5oz  50%
Height:   25.5in 75%
Head:     41.5 cm  25-50%

Official 4 month pic (even though it was a couple days after)

Weston is a good and mostly predictable baby... I'm grateful for his spirit and I truly am so glad he's here, it sounds weird but I really think I missed him.  The more I get to know him, the more I wonder how I felt at home without him here.  He's such a comfort to my heart.  He loves Daddy and Reid too... he smiles for them almost anytime they want one.  We love you Weston!

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.

Welcome Geek Baby #2!

August 26th 2011 @ 1:16pm Weston Cade was born!  He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and was 19.5 inches long.  I was induced, but still was able to labor and deliver naturally.
We are really enjoying him and adjusting to our new life.  I hope to write the story down soon.  But for now pictures will have to do.

A few hours old

 Getting his hearing test (he looks like he's jammin')

 5 days old

Why Two Year Olds are Great

Because when you are busy stressing and counting contractions...
They come up to you on the couch, and start bopping you on the nose saying, "Boing, boing, boing!" 

I totally lost all my concentration and that contraction time was off a little bit... but I sure did get a really good laugh!

(p.s. the contractions slowed down later that night... so no baby yet)