Happy New Year and much, much more!!!

Happy early New Year!!! Lake's teacher helped them make the most adorable calendar for 2010 with handprints so I plan to post each month this year.

I have a ton of posts I've posted today so be sure to check them all out! They actually got mixed in a little since they've been in draft so the last one is titled "Lost Video". Just think of it as a little light holiday reading for you!

First time to the Dentist

Lake had his first real cleaning this month. They take a polaroid so here is a picture. He did pretty good, but he did cry a few times because he didn't like having to stay still. We still don't know if his tooth will survive. It's a little gray now because it is still bruised and it could be months until we know. Let's hope his tooth heals!

A little sewing

well, a lot of sewing and crafting actually!!! I didn't post for so long in December because I was sewing. Now, a very long post to make up for it!

Owl backpack for Natalie for her first birthday
Applique shirts
Stuffed animal puppies for Maddox, Lake, and Harper
Stuffed footballs for Lake and Maddox
Baby legs and crinkle toys
Christmas pajamas for the boys
Silhouette frame with grandchildren for Jeff's mom. In all the Christmas craziness, I forgot to take a picture so will have to post one later.
Click here to read a book I made for the boys

7 Months Old!!!

My sweet Maddox is 7 months old today!!! He is spinning around on the floor and manages to maneuver to whatever he’s trying to grab. He’s doing fairly well with sitting and starting to push himself backwards on his belly. We actually let him and Lake take a bath together the other night with him in his tub still. Lake tried to bathe him with the washcloth. Very funny. He is just the happiest little baby and gives the sweetest smiles. However, when he’s not happy, he does this almost hyperventilating type crying. Twice now when we’ve been in the car on a trip, we’ve had to pull over and calm him down with the second being this past weekend traveling to Alabama. He is a bit dramatic about it for sure. No babbling just yet. Just some funny squawking and squealing. My little echo Lake talks enough for the two of them right now!

Schedule:
Sleep: up around 7:30, takes two naps during day (1.5-2 hours), down around 6:45
Eat: Four 7 to 8oz bottles, eats food (fruits, vegetables, meat) about an hour after bottle

First Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and it makes it extra special that it was Maddox and Harper’s FIRST Christmas. Jeff’s family was in town to celebrate with us this year. The babies took it all in and enjoyed the paper mostly and watching Lake. Lake would have been fine with just one gift, his wooden train. He loves trains, cars, and airplanes, all of which he got in some form this year. He did not like however, the babies trying to play with his stuff. He’s only ok if he is the one giving the toy to the baby. This made for an interesting couple of days with Harper on the move now. It was pretty funny actually. He would anticipate that she was about to grab one and would scoop them all up! Needless to say, we are working on our sharing skills right now. I threatened him with timeout last night when he took a toy from Maddox if he didn’t give it back. He said, “no timeout, no timeout” and ran back and gave the toy back to him. I’m sure this won’t work for long.

I’m thankful everyday for a lot of things, but I’m mostly thankful for these two healthy and beautiful little boys that I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to be a mommy to. Hope you had a great Christmas babies! Lots of pictures here.

Lots of videos for the grandparents...

my little entertainer

Lake is so funny when he dances and just loves to dance period. The floor in front of the tv is essentially his "dance floor". There’s a part in the Madagascar 2 movie that he loves to mimic. I rewound a few times so you get a few clips.




Some other funny things about Lake lately are that he won't wear pajamas that have feet. We've found him more than once with these completely off in the morning. He'll sit in his bed and "read" books for a while after we put him down. He's so sweet, especially at night and will hug and kiss Maddox goodnight and gives us lots of Eskimo kisses. We've had to start bathing Maddox in the tub because he gets into everything at the kitchen sink and Lake will help by putting water on Maddox's hair or patting his chest with water. It's really funny and sweet. It's just amazing how well he can communicate now and understand. I really think we could potty train him now, but I'm going to give him a little bit longer. I don't think I'm ready!

Santa Claus

Lost Video

I was sorting through my videos today and found this one.

Merry day after Christmas!

I'm two weeks behind on posting so I have a lot of catching up to do, but wanted to post a few Christmas day shots!



Loving cousins

sweet Harper

Well, we had a good run...

but, Maddox is finally sick. I picked him up yesterday and immediately knew he had a fever. Got home, took temp and it was 102.1. However, he seemed happy so I gave him some Tylenol and put him down for bed. He's had a very tiny cold and cough for about a week now by the way which you could barely count as being sick. His cough was worse last night. Today, the pediatrician suggested to come in since he's so young and guess what, both ears are infected and he may have a little RSV. Ughhh, my outlook for the next few months is grim given this is the exact same time of the year Lake started getting sick as a baby ending in tubes by April after 9 ear infections :( I asked if we could go ahead and schedule them!!! They measured his oxygen and he's fine, but he has an inhaler and antibiotic. I was taking off work today to get some things done before Christmas, but taking care of this sweet baby instead. He went from happy this morning to pretty sad now. Hopefully the meds will kick in soon.

Since I haven't posted pictures in a while (very unlike me, I know), here you go!

Lake LOVES!!! kicking balls. He'll go around and say "I kick the ball" or makes us sit down in the floor and kick the ball with him. I posted about him singing happy birthday the other day, but he really sings everything now. Last night was Jingle Bells, with "way" and "sleigh" very loudly emphasized. And he sings songs he learns at school that I don't know. I noticed him making a circle with his hand and saying something about a snowman and found out they sing this snowman song and talk about how snowmen are made out of circles. It's something new everyday with him!

happy birthday to you!

well, it's no one's birthday, it's just the song Lake was singing this morning while he was eating breakfast. I was washing bottles and heard him singing so I turned off the water to listen and he was singing it as clear as could be!

On a side note, Lake pooped in the potty at school today! TMI I know, but I must document this momentous occasion. Apparantly the teacher noticed him assuming the squatting position and scooped him up and put him on the potty. They said he did great! I guess I may need to buy one so he can get use to it. I'm in no hurry to even try if you can tell.

Doing Better

Lake seems to be doing better although he's been very clingy and gets upset more easily since it happened. He's a little slower eating too, but for the most part, he's acting normal. Thanks for all the prayers and concern! He has been like glue to me for about two weeks now anyway, not sure why, so this hasn't helped that. Makes for a difficult morning and night during the week feeding and bathing two babies that both want your full attention.

On a funny note, Jeff found Lake in just his diaper this morning in his bed. He had taken off his footed/zippered pajamas!! Silly thing. He has only taken off his shirt once in the past. Hope this is not a trend. I guess he'll learn he'll get cold at some point!

An unfortunate accident

Yuck, where do I start? Let's see, I was going to do my parent/teacher conference for Lake this afternoon. Lake was happily playing with play-doh and had it on his hands so I said let's wash them before we go get his report. He goes to step up on the stool to the sink and trips trying to step up and hits his mouth on the edge of the counter. It happened in a split second. I pick him up, see blood, look in his mouth and see his right front tooth pushed far backward. It takes me a minute to process what I've seen and I finally said out loud I need to take him to a doctor. This is after I said a not nice word in front of a bunch of 2 year olds when it happened. Oops.

I go to the front desk, tell them what happened and ask for a pediatric dentist since we haven't been to a dentist for him yet. The director also tells me that I probably need to move the tooth back into place. Lake is of course screaming and so upset, but I sit him down and pull his tooth forward and it makes a really loud pop. Yes, it kind of makes your stomach turn I know.

So we are at the dentist. We are the only ones there because they were about to close until I called (and the preschool called them for me too). Lake gets examined, gets x-rays, and then got to play with their therapy dog afterwards. Luckily, he didn't break any bones, he did chip his left front tooth too, and his right front tooth we'll have to see what happens. The blood vessels are really small so they can't tell if the blood supply is broken or not.

This really sucked and was so scary. I almost lost it driving to the dentist, but managed to keep my emotions back because I was trying to sound happy for Lake so he wouldn't be scared. He seems to be doing ok, but I know his little mouth will be sore and I expect to see a black and blue gum tomorrow. I did stop at a gas station and let him get one of those orange push pops on the way home. He was a big fan the push pop.

Sweet boy. I'm sorry you fell and hit your teeth today! I'll be just fine if you never hurt yourself again!

The mohawk's alive!!!

Like I said in the previous post, you never know what you might get!!! I found him all the way at the end of his crib lying the wrong way up against the bumper. I'm guessing this had something to do with this crazy cuteness! Side note, he's looking at Lake eating who you can see to the right in that last picture in the reflection.

6 month check-up

Maddox was 6 months old on Saturday and had his check-up this morning. He got 3 shots (1 being the flu shot since he's old enough now) and an oral vaccine. Again, my little dramatic baby held his breath for what seemed like minutes once he realized they actually hurt before letting out the most awful cry :( He's doing great though and such a happy baby.

His schedule:
-Wakes up between 7 and 8
-Naps twice, maybe 3 times a day. Short ones, but is starting to take a little longer nap in the afternoon. (napping in crib now and not swing. He just gets upset now in the swing because he sees us)
-Bath around 6:30 and he CANNOT hold his eyes open past 7. He's been out while taking the bottle for about two weeks now. (I read today that their sleep patterns at 6 months will likely be their patterns for the next two years. I'll take it!)
-4 8oz bottles a day
-Eats about an hour after morning and noon bottle, twice a day right now.

Latest:
-He's been sleeping on his stomach for about 3 weeks and actually won't stay on his back at all anymore
-He only rolls over towards the left side
-He is sitting for a few minutes now
-He is very ticklish and giggly. Ticklish in the rib area, giggly just talking to him.
-His hair is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get each day. Today, he had one area curling over to one side with the rest laying down on the other side. The pediatrician commented on how light his new hair coming in was.
-His ezcema is better as long as we keep using Dermasmooth (prescription we got when he was like 2 months). It's the best stuff ever!
-He's in size 3 diapers now

Measurements:
weight: 16 lbs, 14oz (40%) - polar opposite of Lake at this age (19lbs,5oz). I can actually say that I might not move him to the big carseat for a while! We moved Lake around 6 months or so because he was so heavy! Don't be fooled, those two to three pounds make a huge difference when carrying them in a carrier! They are just so different except for their little laid back personalities! Both so very adorable in their own way!
height: 26 1/4 (50%)
head: 17 1/2 (70%)

Happy 6 months my precious baby!

Happy half a year old!!!

Thanksgiving Day

In game gear for Alabama v. Auburn


Picking out a Christmas tree today!

My little helper

Chomp Chomp

No, not Maddox. No sign of teeth yet there. It's Lake!! Jeff usually puts him to bed and brushes his teeth, but I did the other night and guess what I discovered? ALL 4 2 year molars are HALF way through!!! What?!?! Well, I have no idea when they first broke through. Maybe he was having a bad day one day and we didn't notice, but yay!!!

Since I don't do monthly updates for Lake anymore, here are a few things to catch up on:
1. Asked to be changed for the first time about 3 weeks ago
2. Pronounces his name "Yake" and Maddox like Madda
3. Starting to speak a little more clearly
4. Cries and repeats "mommydaddy" when he's really upset
5. Will say "eyes eyes" when either his hair gets in them or pulling a shirt on/off.
6. Getting pretty good with his shapes and colors
7. Loves to say "I did it" or "I do it" (they mean the same)
8. We had to start disciplining him with timeouts now. Not often, but he's testing us.
9. Favorite movie right now...Tinker Bell!! Yes, you heard right. He LOVES it. very funny.

And the sweet moment of the day...
When we were visiting Melissa in Savannah, we were out shopping with Lake and Maddox in the stroller which is side by side. Maddox’s carrier hood was pulled up and I think I see out of the corner of my eye Maddox rubbing his eyes. I look down and Lake’s little hand had reached around and was poking (probably really just trying to feel) Maddox’s eyes as Maddox is trying to frantically rub them away!!! Lake couldn’t see what he was doing because of the hood. I picked Maddox up to check the damage. Luckily, just a little watery from probably the initial prodding!!! Poor little guy! Lake just looked at me like, "What? I was bored!"

Ok, the real sweet moment...
Lake and I went to get Maddox the other morning and Lake reached through the crib and started rubbing Maddox’s back. He really is a sweet big brother. He also gently threw the ball to Maddox a few nights ago wanting him to play back. Soon Lake, soon :)

Happy Saturday!

"Awful"ly Cute

(Picture of their school picture)

This has to be the worst background ever and Lake's hair looks red, but I can't resist pictures of my babies!

Roll Tide?

My first capture of Maddox sitting (all 2 seconds of it) and Lake just mad because I made him sit.

Wow

the mohawk is out of control...I don't want to cut his hair, but what do you do with this?



In other news, Maddox keeps flipping over and can't get himself back during the night and screams. This is new to me since Lake was so much older when he started rolling over.

When I have a bad day...

these sweet babies make everything better!


Being silly about the wind-up alligator getting him

Squealin' & Rollin'

Maddox started this funny little squeal this past weekend. It's pretty hysterical. Also, he started rolling from his back to tummy on Saturday. I found him this morning on his stomach and not happy about it. I have seen him roll back, but he hasn't perfected this movement and therefore gets stuck!



More stuff from Friday... Lake and Logan playing on the quad in Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa

Wow, that was an awful game to watch, but so glad we pulled it out tonight! Our pregame festivities Friday in Tuscaloosa below. We did not stay for the game today, but it was so great to see old friends and watch our kids play together. Lake wasn't so much into the sharing...we need to work on that :) For that matter, he wasn't cooperating much in pictures below either. He didn't have a nap yesterday and you can always count on some meltdowns when that happens.


Top - Lake and Maddox with Denny Chimes in the back, right - playing ball on the quad
Bottom left - Logan trying to climb a tree and Lake following suit
The kids - Anderson (2), Lake, Jonas (4), and Logan (2) (Anderson and Jonas are Katherine's two boys and Logan is Stacy's little boy. Stacy is also having another little boy in February!)
the girls - Stacy, me, and Katherine

Um, I don't think so!

11/4, Oatmeal, First Attempt

Rawrrr!

What a busy Halloween, but fun! We had a party at Lake's school Friday morning, headed to Savannah afterwards to visit with Melissa, Matt, and Natalie (while Jeff was at the GA/FL game), and went trick or treating...well, sort of!!! Many thanks to Matt and Melissa for their hospitality...two little lively kiddos, one of which LOVED playing with Matt the whole time while missing his daddy!

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! (with a 5 month, almost 1 year, and 2 year old, you get what you can take for pictures!)




Lake and Natalie



Are these not the cutest little piggy and polar bear you've ever seen?


Melissa scooping Lake up when he was clearly a little distraught at this whole trick or treating thing...this was his first official house. We drove in the golf cart and went to a few houses. Maddox was strapped to me and I was snapping pictures so we had a lot going on!

Lake was so hot and tired and in desperate need of a hair cut don't you think?


"At least I got something out of this!!!"

Sweet "hugs"