Night time cuddles

Logan is at a turning point in his young life, he's not quite a baby and not quite a big kid yet. The toddler years are fun for lots of reasons, the new words and blossoming personality make everyday interesting. And challenging. With Logan, more challenging than interesting it seems. But lately his communication has been amazing and it's easy to see how he's been less and less frustrated. Not that he doesn't still have tantrums, but much less hitting and biting.

And in many ways, he's still my baby. Last week, Logan woke up in the middle of the night. When I entered his room, I didn't close the door, just got to him and picked him up from his crib. He stood and reached for me. When I patted his bottom, I realized he was very soggy and needed a fresh diaper. So I told him he needed a change and he laid down quietly as soon as I set him on the floor (he outgrew the changing table ages ago). Then I changed him and before I could pick him back up, he'd stood up and was hugging me. I was just about to stand up so we could sit in his chair and cuddle some when he realized something was wrong. He ran over, closed his room door and then came back, now ready for his cuddle. I only held him for a few minutes then he went back to sleep and I slowly slipped back to my own bed. 

As I tried to fall back to sleep, I laughed to myself. He's old enough to know he wants his door closed, but young enough to still need a cuddle to fall back to sleep. 

Remember when?

Remember when it was easy to find time to write this blog?

I'm not actually sure that I do remember such a thing.  It seems I'm having trouble remembering so many things lately.

For instance, James starts kindergarten next week and I can hardly remember what it was like for him to be a baby.  He seems so big and independent these days and now he's leaving daycare and going to a new school for long school days where I will have even less control than I do now...  Is that a run on sentence?  I see his baby pictures and I can remember for a minute snuggling his little tiny self, but now I give a hug to a big, heavy boy.  A big boy to tells me his thoughts and about his dreams (always about purple monsters...)  A big boy who plays games with other big boys and leaves his mother totally confused about what is happening.  A big boy who loves his brother and wants nothing more than Logan to follow his beck and call.  Logan, on the other hand, has no time for brother's instructions.

Remember when I thought we'd have two kids and I'd get this feeling of being "done" and then we'd be done?  Ha!  That thought was fleeting and I never had a feeling of done.  So here I am, almost 12 weeks pregnant with number 3.  Even more hilarious, remember when I thought I'd never even have kids? Time has made me a liar.

He's a puker

Logan is a puker. Since the day (almost) he was born, Logan has vomited. A lot. When he was a baby, he ate a lot, and if he didn't stop to burp often, he would puke. Sometimes an entire feeding. Looking back, he could have used some reflux medication, but hindsight is 20/20.

He pukes when food texture isn't what he anticipated. He pukes when he's extra snotty, and he usually is or has been due to his ear issues. Even with the tubes in his ears, he still has a strong gag reflex. Sometimes when he's crying or tantrumming puke is the result of his dramatics. This week he managed to puke on himself and Rhonda at daycare. (I have mentioned that she's a saint before, right?) 

And my real favorite - Logan often forgets to chew his food, a skill you can't quite teach. And the result?

You guessed it. More puke. 

Just this morning, we woke up to find a bed that had been puked in and then slept in. I'm not sure how he managed to sleep like that, but he was out for 12 hours. Adam striped the bed and cleaned the wall while I bathed a very stinky toddler. Divide and conquer!

As time goes on, we've gotten used to the vomit and Logan gets sick less often. 

We joke that it's a good thing he's a second child, because if your first kid was a puker, you might not have a second. 

Two months old, original photo caption: I'm a puker

Logan and the movies

Yesterday, I started to put a movie on for the boys and noticed that Disney's Bears was on cable. I put it on, much to James' disdain. He wanted to watch The Lego Movie for the third time this weekend and quickly went upstairs to entertain himself.

When the movie started, I realized that the narrator was a familiar voice, John C. Reilly aka Wreck-It Ralph. Apparently, Logan realized it too, because he ran to the DVD cabinet and came back holding our copy of Wreck-It Ralph. 

He wouldn't leave me alone until I switched off Bears and put Ralph on. Then he happily watched the movie, dancing and cheering along. So much for watching a nice nature film. 

I will be very happy when winter is over and we can play outside rather than watching so much television!

The Meatloaf Debacle

All my life, I've been known as a picky eater.  I don't like tomatoes, broccoli...  okay, most vegetables...  or fish.  I'm not into sushi, french onion soup or other "fancy" foods.  Peanut butter and jelly is still a go-to meal at 31 years old.  I keep it pretty basic.  When I married a picky eater, I wondered what our children would possibly eat.
Luckily, they both are really good eaters.  They love green beans and peas and all kinds of foods that I would never touch.  Usually, they both cannot eat enough.  They are growing boys, after all.
Last night, Adam whipped up a meatloaf.  He makes wonderful meatballs and spaghetti almost every Monday, his telework day, but wanted to change things up a little bit.  A very little bit, he uses the same recipe for both meals, its just a matter of a loaf or ball presentation.
So we baked the meatloaf, pulled it out of the oven, and I sliced up pieces for the boys to eat.  The plates went in front of the boys and the direct opposite of what I thought would happen, happened.
They revolted!  Logan took a bite, then immediately spat it out.  He then used his fingers to get any remaining meat out of his mouth and back onto his plate.  James had a similar reaction.  I bit into my meatloaf and thought it tasted great, but the boys weren't having it.  James was finally persuaded to eat, even though it was "terrible" but Logan flatly refused.  Now, if you put a meatball in front of either of them, its instantly inhaled.  We tried several times to get Logan to eat, but he wouldn't.  Finally, we gave him a string cheese and called it dinner.
Kids are funny creatures.

The last few months... list form

In the last few months Logan has:

1.  Gotten tubes in his ears.
2.  Begun speech therapy through the Baltimore County Infants and Toddlers program for his slight speech delay.
3.  Learned to LOVE Elmo.
4.  Started to climb everything.
5.  Continued to run head first through life, occasionally into the path of heavy machinery.
6.  Fallen in love with Rhonda's kitten, Callie.
7.  Started to have tantrums consistent with almost being 2.
8.  Fully committed to being a daddy's boy, which took much longer than mom thought.
9.  Slept consistently through the night.

In the last few months James has:

1.  Improved his bike riding skills (but still with training wheels).
2.  Gotten even more curious about the world around him (why does the sun rise and set, when does a new day start, what day of the week is it, why is it cold out).
3.  Figured out most of his family's relationships, save some of the more complicated ones (Grandpa is dad's dad, Grandma Deedee is mom AND Uncle Trav's mom, Auntie Chelle is dad's stepsister, which means they're family but no, they don't look alike).
4.  Continued to love preschool.
5.  Gotten even more opinionated on what he wants to wear.
6.  Mostly been accident free during the day...  mostly.  And has started to be better at night.  Well, a little.  Some nights?  We're trying...
7.  Started to refer to his brother as "Little Feet".
8.  Started to play alone in his room from time to time, especially when little brother wants to eat Legos.
9.  Played on his first soccer team, if you count sitting down in the middle of the field every game as playing.

12 month milestones

12 months old!

Mastered Skills
Imitates other's activities
Yes, Logan loves to clap if you are, do patty cake, and raise his arms to cheer.
Babbles wordlike sounds
He is "talking" up a storm, mostly "ga" and sometimes "ba" sounds.
Indicates wants with gestures
A new favorite activity of Logan's is the bite you when he is hungry.  At first we thought that he was biting because his mouth hurts, but no, he's letting you know he wants a snack.

Emerging Skills
Says one word besides "mama" and "dada"
Logan says a few things that might be words like "baba" for bottle and "hi".
Takes a few steps
He walks all over the place, especially in the last couple of weeks.
Understands and responds to simple instructions
Logan understands when you ask him to come to you and to open his mouth while eating.

Advanced Skills
Scribbles with crayons
I haven't really tried this yet.  Maybe soon we will see if he wants to color with big brother.
Walks well
He is all over the place and is close to running.
Says two words besides "mama" and "dada"
Not quite!

Almost a year

Its been almost a year as a family of 4.  Between two boys, turning 30, work, and everything else life throws our way, this has been the fastest year of my life.  When I really think about it, its been the happiest year of my life.  I know it can only get better, but even through the insanity, I've been so happy with my boys and our little family.
Logan is walking up a storm these days, he took his first steps just before he hit 11 months and hasn't looked back.  He's crawling up the steps a lot.  He startles us every time he does it, the first time he got halfway up the steps, sneaking up on Adam while he was vacuuming them.  A few days ago, I went to wake James up from his nap and while I was helping him in the bathroom, I noticed Logan, hanging out in the upstairs hallway.  He hasn't tried to go down yet, but I know that is coming.
We had an early birthday party for the little guy, right after Thanksgiving.  It was a crazy idea to have his party right after hosting Thanksgiving, but we pulled it off.  Logan enjoyed his cake and both boys were so pleased that Rhonda came.  I am not sure they realized that Rhonda exists outside of her house!
James has had a hard time sharing Logan's birthday presents.  He has never encountered gifts that weren't his and having to share isn't easy for any 3 year old.  But we seem to have moved on, now that some of their newness has worn off.
Pictures from the party:

Pre-party

Delicious vanilla cupcakes

He loves to eat

Surprisingly, he didn't get too messy!

11 month milestones

Mastered Skills
Says "dada" and "mama" to the right parent
Logan only says dada (as of November 3, 2013) so far, but he knows who dada is.  When I asked him to say mama, he looks at me kind of funny, like "Yes, I know who you are" but he won't repeat it.
Plays patty cake
Logan loves patty cake.  He started doing a rolling motion one day and we didn't realize that Rhonda had been doing patty cake with him, so we just thought that he was doing a Conga move.
Stands alone for a couple of seconds
Yes, he likes to stand on his own.

Emerging Skills
Imitates others activities
Logan will wave if you wave and tries to pet the dog, if he is watching someone else.
Puts objects into a container
He certainly knows how to take them out of a container, so I'll say maybe to this milestone.
Understands simple instructions
Yes, Logan will come when you ask him and knows to stop doing something when you say no.  He knows when you ask him to open his mouth for a bite of something, but usually just smiles and opens his mouth when he feels like it.

Advanced Skills
Drinks from a cup
We are starting to work on drinking from sippy cups.
Says one word besides "dada" and "mama"
Logan says "hi" sometimes.  He also likes to say "Bubba" which is what we tend to call the boys.
Stoops from standing position
Yes, he will lower himself slowly to the ground from standing.  He is moments away from walking!

10 month milestones

Mastered Skills

Waves goodbye

Yes, Logan recently started to wave, its ridiculously cute, much like just about everything he does.

Picks things up with pincer grasp

YES!  This boy loves to eat pretty much anything in front of him, even if its not food.  He picks things up well and crams it right into his mouth.

Crawls well

Like a speed demon.  He's like American Express, anywhere you want to be.

Cruises

Yes, he moves well when holding on the furniture, I have a feeling he will be walking soon.

Emerging Skills

Says "dada" and "mama" to the right parent

Logan isn't saying much yet and isn't imitating sounds much either.  James was doing both of these fairly early at 7 and 8 months, but he walked super late at 16 months (while still within the typical range).  Logan's gross motor skills are pretty advanced, so I am trying to remember that his brain can only learn to do so many things at one time.  I still feel worried that most of his noises are more "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" and less consonants and vowel combinations.

Responds to name and understands "no"

One of my reasons for not worrying too much about Logan's lack of verbal communication is this, he knows his name well and understands (and fusses) when he hears "no", so maybe I should get my undies out of the bunch they're in!

Indicates wants with gestures

Logan does this some, he will raise his arms to be picked up and will bang his hand to get more food on his tray.

Advanced Skills

Drinks from a cup

He has started using a sippy some and seems to like it, we'll be working on his a lot in the next couple months as we get rid of bottles.

Stands alone for a few seconds

Yes, Logan will stand up for a second or two without holding on before slowly lowering himself back down to the floor.

Puts objects into a container

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm not certain that Logan has even been in a situation to put objects in a container.  One thing is certain, he knows how to take things OUT of a container.

I try to do a monthly comparison photo of the boys every month and every month I'm amazed at how much they look a like.  Throughout the month when I look at them together, I think they look nothing a like.  They have a few differences, Logan's hair is more red and there is more of it.  James has brown eyes and Logan has blue eyes.  But they have the same shape to their eyes, just like their dad and they both love to laugh and smile.  Logan has 5 teeth with 3 more on the way at 10 months and James still had NONE this age.  Looking at the photos, they definitely have the same little nose!  James was almost 2 inches taller than Logan at 10 months and weighed a pound or 2 more.  One day, when I'm ready for this blog to know what a dork I am, I'll post the Excel spreadsheet and accompanying graphs of their height and weight comparisons since birth.  I'm not sure why, maybe its the eyes and the hair, but I think Logan looks like my dad, his Grandbear.  Either way, one thing is for sure, these boys are adorable!

Lots of Teeth

Logan has been steadily getting more teeth, about one a month since the first broke.  I think in the next few days, he's going to have several pop through.  And he certainly uses them, for biting his mother and for eating.

9 month milestones

Logan is three-quarters of the way to one year old.  We are already planning his big birthday bash and are waiting for him to walk, which I am certain will be sooner rather than later.
Mac just happened to turn 5 today, here is Logan wishing him a happy birthday.

Mastered Skills
Combines syllables into wordlike sounds
Logan makes all kinds of noises, he likes to talk to you if you're chatting with him.
Stands whole holding onto something
Yes, he prefers to be standing up and gets very upset when he wants to walk and realizes that he's just not quite there yet.

Emerging Skills
Uses pincer grasp to pick up objects
Yes, Logan loves to eat big kid food and picks up most things pretty easily.
Cruises while holding onto furniture
Yes, he loves to move!
Bangs objects together
I haven't really seen him bang things together yet, he does like to clear the coffee table of anything that might be on it.

Advanced Skills
Plays patty cake
I haven't tried.
Says "dada" and "mama" to the right parent (is specific)
He hasn't said anything that clearly yet.

8 month milestones

A few days before turning 8 months old

Mastered Skills (Most children can do)
Says "dada" and "mama" to both parents (isn't specific)
Logan isn't saying anything so clearly yet, but he is definitely making lots of noise and will repeat certain sounds.
Begins to crawl
Yes, while we were on vacation, Logan officially moved from creeping on his tummy to crawling on all fours.
Passes object from hand to hand
Yes, I guess he does this, but I didn't really play much attention to it.  He will move a spoon from one hand to another, so I will say it counts!

Emerging Skills (Half of children can do)
Stands while holding onto something
Yes, he loves to stand up.  At daycare, he stands, holding onto the baby swing that Raylene hangs out in and "talks" to his girlfriend.
Crawls well
I wouldn't say well just yet, but he's all over the place and getting faster everyday.
Points at objects
I haven't really noticed this yet.

Advanced Skills (A few children can do)
Pulls self to standing position, cruises around furniture while holding on
Logan will pull to a standing position as of this weekend, but isn't quite cruising yet.  I have a feeling its coming soon.
Picks things up with thumb-finger "pincer" grasp
Yes, he loves to eat!  Baby puffies are his main non-pureed food right now, but he picked up and tried some macaroni and cheese a few days ago and was in heaven!
Indicates wants with gestures
Again, I haven't really noticed this yet.  He will grab for his bottle when he sees it though, so maybe that counts.

Another Tooth Chart

On Tuesday, I picked the boys up (after going to the gym, thank you!) and Rhonda was excited as soon as I walked in.  She yelled, "I was going to call you!" and I immediately thought something was wrong.  But nothing was wrong, she was just excited that Logan's first tooth popped through during his nap!  Logan's lower right central incisor came through just days after his 7 month birthday.  James didn't get his first tooth until 11 months, after months of dramatic teething.  Logan seemed pretty laid back about this tooth coming in, a little drool, a little Tylenol and that was it.  So I've started his tooth chart, although I noticed that James' last 3 molars are not marked on his.  You see what pregnancy did to me?  I got complacent on James' tooth record!  Oh well, he's got the teeth and he's been to the dentist, that's about all I can do!  I will try to keep up with Logan's though, at least for his first few teeth.