This past weekend had nothing on the calendar. We were going to continue to work on projects for the house, do our taxes and stay home. Then I learned that our niece, Brittany was going to be playing possibly her last basketball game of her career. She is in a junior college and this is her last year. She's been playing for gosh, so long, and is very good. So after talking to John, we wanted to go and cheer her on! It would be a perfect event for the boys, as they can be loud and it is a.o.k. :) It also was in the Milwaukee-area, so it wasn't too far of a drive to go there and back. It was in the afternoon, so how perfect that during our drive there would be during the boys naps. They'd be refreshed and ready to go and then we'd have a nice dinner with John's brother, Andy, Brittany and adorable little Myella...then head on home - which was convenient since it would be their bedtime. So to prep for this, I packed their pajamas. We also dressed in their school colors to show our support. Things were going great. We got some projects done in the morning, the boys were nice and tired. Okay, that all sounds great....almost too great.
The car ride starts - Carter is asleep by the time we are at the bottom of the driveway. Great! We stopped to get Wendy's to get some lunch. Within 15 minutes, Logan fell asleep while finishing his 2nd chicken nugget. Good! It was a little snowy, but the roads were good and we were on our way to being on-time (which we were). Lovely. 30 minutes into the ride, during a stretch of our drive that is at stoplights, Carter stirs when I stop at a light. Problem is when Carter stirred, his bright blue eyes just popped right open and that. was. it.
He wasn't pleased almost from the get-go. As I do most of the driving (I have trouble turning around a lot to help the kids when I'm the passenger and John isn't a huge fan of driving), John did everything to try and calm this kid down. We tried his blanket, taking off his socks, putting on a movie, feeding him 2 chicken nuggets, giving him some milk, playing peek-a-boo, shush'ing him, feeding him a pb&j, which as you can imagine went horribly wrong, feeding him crackers, you name it. The poor little bugger cried and often screamed during this trip. He eventually woke up Logan, who woke up crying for milk of which we didn't have, just the lovely, boring water. Luckily Logan calmed down quickly and we had only 15 minutes to our destination....where a Grandma, Godmothers, Aunts and cousins awaited these two lovely boys.
Really, during the game, the boys were pretty good. At times they were a little clingy to us, but after Aunt Kaye busted out candy for Logan and Grandma bought him some popcorn, he was pretty appeased. He clapped when the crowd cheered and had a good time. Carter was busy, going from person to person, crawling on the bleachers...sometimes a little too far, where he started climbing on this guy, using his butt. Um, sorry there college student. :) But Carter too enjoyed himself. It was nice and Brittany played very well...and they won!!! It was very exciting.
We said goodbye to most of the famil then left for a restaurant and Carter fell asleep - good, even a 15 minute nap will do him good. We ended up at TGIF. While it is nice to go to a nice sit down restaurant, doing it with a one and two year old can prove to be exhausting. We only had about a 20 minute wait, which we hung out in the bar area (yes, with our children) and they were well behaved. We then were escorted to our huge semi-circle booth, which sat about a foot and a half above the rest of the section seating - so we were kind of on display....like the head table at a wedding. We felt like entertainment and we didn't disappoint.
Our waiter came to the table to get a drink order. We ordered and also asked for a booster seat for Carter. The reason why became apparent within the next few seconds where Carter, while standing on the booth at the table, slipped and banged his lip. Blood-curdling screams ensued, heads flipped around to stare and I tried to laugh off this moment while trying to console my almost now hyperventilating child. Naturally, this didn't go well so within 30 seconds, I scooted my way out of the booth (naturally, Carter and I were in the back). Scoot, scoot, scoot. While scooting, I noticed that he was bleeding. Of course. So I scooted faster and tossed out an apology to all the people staring and bolted to the bathroom. As soon as I was walking away, Carter stopped his hyperventilating. I was able to clean him off in the bathroom. It wasn't a terrible amount of blood, but he did cut the inside of his lip and the outside of his lip. Okay...
So we went back to the table and he was okay, while we kept feeding him a snack. We ordered our meal which seemed to take a while to come. Why can't places learn to bring out the kids meal as soon as its ready? I'm sure the mac n cheese is in a vat that can easily be scooped out and heated up. I digress. They ate well. Sometimes at dinner I feel like an octopus. Since Carter was in a booster, I held onto his seat (it was leaning forward and I didn't want him to fall a second time) with one hand and ate with the other, while spooning some mac n cheese to Carter. He kept wanting to do it himself, but he gets way too messy, so I had to be on-guard and fast. It came with a side of mandarin oranges, which are Carter's favorite so he just chowed down. During octopus like moments, we did our best to carry on a conversation with Andy & Brittany, while they tended to their quiet and low-maintenance 4.5 month old baby. :) I was thankful that she did join in the craziness by crying for a few minutes while trying to fall asleep in a noisy restaurant. Thanks Myella. :) I also think during this time we secured Andy & Brittany's thoughts of not having a second child 'right' away. :)
The check came, coats went on, we got in the van. Keep in mind, we still needed to change the kids into pj's. I thought (and was correct) that this would be way easier in the van than a restaurant bathroom. Thankfully we still had our back seats down so I climbed back there and changed one child, then the other (love my van). Okay, breathe....all is okay.
I don't think I've mentioned that is was snowing like CRAZY up in WI...it just didn't stop!!! Which of course, made the roads, not so fantastic. Then boys both fell asleep within minutes....ah, peace and quiet. Then...yes...Carter woke up about 30ish minutes later. Cried, screamed pretty much the whole. way. home. The roads were bad, we were driving slow and hearing a screaming kid. John after going through the gammot of things to appease Carter, finally said, okay, I just need to stop trying for a moment and take a breather. And wouldn't you know, Carter took his queue and started quieting down? He still had moments of whining, but within 20 minutes, he fell asleep. Hallelujah!!!
We got home and successfully transferred both boys to their beds. Ahh....
To make up for it, Carter slept in until 10am, napped well and just wanted to cuddle all day. I really think part of it was a teething issue (he still only has 4 teeth and I feel some top ones coming in). But I hope this isn't the case on a car-ride as we have a long roadtrip ahead of us soon and I need them both to love the car!! Typically they are fine, just go figure that he has a rough time during a 2 hours drive.
All in all, we were able to see Brittany's last winning game...And hang out with family that we don't get to see too often. Despite the screams and the incident at the restaurant, we had a nice family day. :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Mid-Feb
This month is already going by quickly!
In the past couple weeks, Carter has been rocking a 5 hour nap! He has also been sleeping anywhere between 12-14 hours at night! Sometimes he wakes up around 9, has breakfast, plays, has a snack (sometimes), naps from 12:30 - 5:30, has dinner then goes to bed between 7:30-8ish. Holy smackerel! That is a lot of sleeping. I am not complaining; I know it won't last forever and boy have I been able to accomplish a lot of projects during that naptime! Logan has sleeps about 10-11 hours (sometimes...) and naps about 3-3.5 hours....so still pretty awesome! At least when he is awake, he plays very well by himself, so I'm still able to get projects done. My kids rock!
We just got over yet another cold....and yes, while I wipe noses all the live, long day, I have to say that many of my friends have been battling with the flu and fevers and puking in their households....so, I'll take a snotty nose. :) We've also been getting back in the swing of things with library storytime. We had about 6 weeks off...which was a LONG time off from that routine. The first couple times back were a bit brutal. Carter wants nothing more than to crawl around (which is fine in baby storytime, but when he is a guest at toddler storytime, those kids are being taught to sit and listen). Plus when Carter starts getting antsy, Logan thinks he can too. So you can imagine in our half hour timeslot, how much time I spend chasing kids and get them to be quiet. Now granted, we spend quite a bit of that time getting settled in, singing songs and doing a craft...but for the 2-3 books that are read, it can be tricky with two little ones.
On that note, I've started implementing time outs more often as an effort to help control behavior and help *them* understand right behavior from wrong. I say them as them loosely; Carter does not get put in time out, but does test my limits more and more....stinker! Carter will stand on the couch and hit the blinds; I will tell him 'no touch' or 'no thank you' and he'll look right at me and do it again. When he is taken off the couch - watch out! The kid is mad!!! Logan's time-outs are more about not listening. We've also implemented counting to 3 in order for him to get 'motivated' to do said activity. This is working. I have gotten to 3, then he gets a time-out. Some days are fantastic and other days, he sees the time-out spot a couple times during the day. All in all, they're great kids.
At the library the other day, Logan was all hugs to Carter - showing everybody just how sweet he is. Later at home, he head-butted Carter....nice.
Logan has asked to sit on the potty a couple times. He hasn't done anything in there lately, but sitting there is a step in the right direction. We still 'flush' the majority of his poopy diapers, so that is another good step. Speaking of 'potty'...at the kitchen table the other day, Logan farted. He bursts out laughing and says 'I Faa-ted, I faa-ted'. I then giggled myself and told him to say excuse me...and he did.
Logan will also bump into somebody and say 'oh, sorry'. Too funny - I love his little mannerisms.
Carter walks smoothly even while holding just one hand; but the second we try to let go, he crumbles to the floor.
Today Logan had the big dump truck and asked for Buddy to come in from outside, so I let him in. Then Logan chased Buddy around the downstairs with the dumptruck - laughing hysterically. Finally Buddy went up onto the landing; so Logan went up too and coaxed Buddy to come back down...then chased him some more. Poor dog, but he loved the attention. :)
Our boys are such cuties!!
In the past couple weeks, Carter has been rocking a 5 hour nap! He has also been sleeping anywhere between 12-14 hours at night! Sometimes he wakes up around 9, has breakfast, plays, has a snack (sometimes), naps from 12:30 - 5:30, has dinner then goes to bed between 7:30-8ish. Holy smackerel! That is a lot of sleeping. I am not complaining; I know it won't last forever and boy have I been able to accomplish a lot of projects during that naptime! Logan has sleeps about 10-11 hours (sometimes...) and naps about 3-3.5 hours....so still pretty awesome! At least when he is awake, he plays very well by himself, so I'm still able to get projects done. My kids rock!
We just got over yet another cold....and yes, while I wipe noses all the live, long day, I have to say that many of my friends have been battling with the flu and fevers and puking in their households....so, I'll take a snotty nose. :) We've also been getting back in the swing of things with library storytime. We had about 6 weeks off...which was a LONG time off from that routine. The first couple times back were a bit brutal. Carter wants nothing more than to crawl around (which is fine in baby storytime, but when he is a guest at toddler storytime, those kids are being taught to sit and listen). Plus when Carter starts getting antsy, Logan thinks he can too. So you can imagine in our half hour timeslot, how much time I spend chasing kids and get them to be quiet. Now granted, we spend quite a bit of that time getting settled in, singing songs and doing a craft...but for the 2-3 books that are read, it can be tricky with two little ones.
On that note, I've started implementing time outs more often as an effort to help control behavior and help *them* understand right behavior from wrong. I say them as them loosely; Carter does not get put in time out, but does test my limits more and more....stinker! Carter will stand on the couch and hit the blinds; I will tell him 'no touch' or 'no thank you' and he'll look right at me and do it again. When he is taken off the couch - watch out! The kid is mad!!! Logan's time-outs are more about not listening. We've also implemented counting to 3 in order for him to get 'motivated' to do said activity. This is working. I have gotten to 3, then he gets a time-out. Some days are fantastic and other days, he sees the time-out spot a couple times during the day. All in all, they're great kids.
At the library the other day, Logan was all hugs to Carter - showing everybody just how sweet he is. Later at home, he head-butted Carter....nice.
Logan has asked to sit on the potty a couple times. He hasn't done anything in there lately, but sitting there is a step in the right direction. We still 'flush' the majority of his poopy diapers, so that is another good step. Speaking of 'potty'...at the kitchen table the other day, Logan farted. He bursts out laughing and says 'I Faa-ted, I faa-ted'. I then giggled myself and told him to say excuse me...and he did.
Logan will also bump into somebody and say 'oh, sorry'. Too funny - I love his little mannerisms.
Carter walks smoothly even while holding just one hand; but the second we try to let go, he crumbles to the floor.
Today Logan had the big dump truck and asked for Buddy to come in from outside, so I let him in. Then Logan chased Buddy around the downstairs with the dumptruck - laughing hysterically. Finally Buddy went up onto the landing; so Logan went up too and coaxed Buddy to come back down...then chased him some more. Poor dog, but he loved the attention. :)
Our boys are such cuties!!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Carter turns 1!!
Oh it happened - my little baby Carter turned one!!!
So at the fine ol' age of one, my little Carter crawls around like nobody's business, pulls himself up to standing and every so often lets go for a second or two, walks around furniture, claps, smiles like crazy, laughs at his big brother, says 'uh-oh', cheese (when he sees his toy camera), has said 'hot', eats like CRAZY!!! Carter is a pickle when it comes to changing his diaper - he wiggles like crazy - he is either interested in what his brother is doing or just is plain distracted....and if you try to hold him down - oh man, he gets super mad! A funny thing is when I change his diaper he almost always pretends like he's running - it's so cute! Okay enough embarrassing things. Carter loves bathtime - he mostly likes to splash, which annoys Logan as Logan doesn't enjoy getting splashed. But Carter laughs about it. He also enjoys crawling around the tub and every so often he puts his face in and then looks surprised and laughs.
Carter seriously eats pretty much anything...accept for carrots - it's like he 'knows' they are good for you. I breastfed Carter solely until 9months...then John and I went away to Hawaii and it seemed as good a time as any to wean him. He was then on formula until I switched Carter to whole milk and a sippy cup around 10.5 months. It is just much easier and he gets plenty of nutrients.
Carter currently sleeps about 12 hours - oh fabulous! He's goes down around 8 and wakes up around 8-8:30. I can remember one time in the past 9 months when he woke up in the middle of the night. Even while meeting milestones, he does not wake up. He does have a tricky time falling asleep at other people's houses although lately he's done well at my moms and my mother-in-laws!
Carter is definitely going through a separation anxiety stage...even in the house. If I leave the room and he's not occuppied enough, he screams and cries after me. As soon as I pick him up, poof - all better!
Carter currently has 4 teeth and they are just the cutest ever! Two top; two bottom. I think there are a couple more on their way...but nothing yet. As far as teething is concerned, he's got the typical drool, but he isn't extra miserable (yet).
Carter is so daring! He still does not turn around to go down the stairs - he does fine with stairs once he gets going, but turning around at the top - not so much. He crawls up to the top of the stairs and yells. Logan has even tried helping and showing Carter how to do it, Carter doesn't care. :) He freaks me out everytime he is up there because he'll take a toy and throw it onto the step below and then lean over on his belly to check it out. Not cool, Carter - not cool.
A funny tantrum that Carter does of late is what I call a modified seal tantrum (I'm taking a pilates class, perhaps that is where my lingo comes from). Anyway, he'll be crawling along and then get so mad he'll push up on his hands, throw his head back and yell. Oh, it is funny! He has also perfected the fake cry and adds a lip quiver to it - it makes it sound like he's cold...but he's not...although it does wrap me around his finger a bit because it is soooo cute.
Carter remains to be a thumb sucker and loves stuffed animals. As soon as he sees one, he grabs it and puts his right thumb into his mouth - just so cute.
There are too many cute things that he does to name them all, but I will do my best to come back here and add them. :)
We love our Carter so much and he's brought even more joy to our lives.
So at the fine ol' age of one, my little Carter crawls around like nobody's business, pulls himself up to standing and every so often lets go for a second or two, walks around furniture, claps, smiles like crazy, laughs at his big brother, says 'uh-oh', cheese (when he sees his toy camera), has said 'hot', eats like CRAZY!!! Carter is a pickle when it comes to changing his diaper - he wiggles like crazy - he is either interested in what his brother is doing or just is plain distracted....and if you try to hold him down - oh man, he gets super mad! A funny thing is when I change his diaper he almost always pretends like he's running - it's so cute! Okay enough embarrassing things. Carter loves bathtime - he mostly likes to splash, which annoys Logan as Logan doesn't enjoy getting splashed. But Carter laughs about it. He also enjoys crawling around the tub and every so often he puts his face in and then looks surprised and laughs.
Carter seriously eats pretty much anything...accept for carrots - it's like he 'knows' they are good for you. I breastfed Carter solely until 9months...then John and I went away to Hawaii and it seemed as good a time as any to wean him. He was then on formula until I switched Carter to whole milk and a sippy cup around 10.5 months. It is just much easier and he gets plenty of nutrients.
Carter currently sleeps about 12 hours - oh fabulous! He's goes down around 8 and wakes up around 8-8:30. I can remember one time in the past 9 months when he woke up in the middle of the night. Even while meeting milestones, he does not wake up. He does have a tricky time falling asleep at other people's houses although lately he's done well at my moms and my mother-in-laws!
Carter is definitely going through a separation anxiety stage...even in the house. If I leave the room and he's not occuppied enough, he screams and cries after me. As soon as I pick him up, poof - all better!
Carter currently has 4 teeth and they are just the cutest ever! Two top; two bottom. I think there are a couple more on their way...but nothing yet. As far as teething is concerned, he's got the typical drool, but he isn't extra miserable (yet).
Carter is so daring! He still does not turn around to go down the stairs - he does fine with stairs once he gets going, but turning around at the top - not so much. He crawls up to the top of the stairs and yells. Logan has even tried helping and showing Carter how to do it, Carter doesn't care. :) He freaks me out everytime he is up there because he'll take a toy and throw it onto the step below and then lean over on his belly to check it out. Not cool, Carter - not cool.
A funny tantrum that Carter does of late is what I call a modified seal tantrum (I'm taking a pilates class, perhaps that is where my lingo comes from). Anyway, he'll be crawling along and then get so mad he'll push up on his hands, throw his head back and yell. Oh, it is funny! He has also perfected the fake cry and adds a lip quiver to it - it makes it sound like he's cold...but he's not...although it does wrap me around his finger a bit because it is soooo cute.
Carter remains to be a thumb sucker and loves stuffed animals. As soon as he sees one, he grabs it and puts his right thumb into his mouth - just so cute.
There are too many cute things that he does to name them all, but I will do my best to come back here and add them. :)
We love our Carter so much and he's brought even more joy to our lives.
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