Enjoying the weather

What a winter we have had! This week we have had 60-70 degree weather, so we have taken advantage of it. We went to the park on Monday and for 2 walks. At the park, I decided to see what Nathan thought of the swings. He loved them, so I couldn't resist some pictures. His first trip to the neighborhood park enjoying the swings.

Who could resist that face?

Silas and Nathan swinging together. Nathan was pretty intrigued by the shadows.

Just hanging out.

Enjoying some sunshine and relaxing.

Anyways, I'm actually praying for some snow! We bought a sled and haven't had enough snow to even use it. It is so dry here that there have already been some fires, so if we don't get some rain/snow the summer is going to be dreadful!

On a side note, Kurt leaves tomorrow for another work related trip, so do pray for me and the boys as he is away. It's always hardest on Silas and it takes at least a full day to accept that daddy's gone. Silas has had a bit of a rough week with his molars still coming in. We also have went "cold turkey" with his NUK starting Sunday and he's doing really well. Naps and bedtime are hard, but we know in the end it will pay off. We are having a birthday party for him on Sunday afternoon after church, so we figure that will not only be a birthday party, but a party for "no more NUKS". We have been talking to him about his birthday and how old he is going to be, etc. I didn't think he got it until today. On Sesame Street, they were talking about birthdays and cakes and parties and I mentioned again, that his birthday is this weekend. Well, at naptime, when he was "suppose" to be sleeping, I hear through the monitor "happy birthday to me" in a very unique song, so I think he's starting to get it. When he woke up from his nap, he said "Silas cake...candle". So we'll see how the party goes. It was suppose to be a small one, but it looks like we're looking at about 20 people. What have I done? I think it will be worth it in the end.

Ok, off to bed for tonight!

Survival Mode

I guess it is about time for an update since it has been awhile. The title about explains where I am at right now! Kurt was gone last week from Friday-Tuesday and it was really difficult on us. I had a lot of help from our church which really blessed me. I even had a family "donate" 2 of their 6 kids to clean my house and entertain my kids so I could get a bit of a break. Then on Wed, Kurt only went in for a 1/2 day and I got to go out to breakfast with a friend from church with only Nathan (who slept the whole time) and actually got to have an adult conversation. Amazing how that works!

So, sometimes I feel like I'm only hanging by threads, but learning everyday, which is what matters. The struggles right now is Silas is really showing how introverted and shy he is. He is struggling going into the nursery at church and to even go to people. There are a few people he will go to, but other than that, it is a crying battle if it isn't Kurt or I (and mainly Kurt!). I'm really struggling with this, because you see other kids playing and having a blast and there's Silas crying for us for most of the service. My friend reminded me so graciously that this is the child that God has given us and all children are unique and different. If all children were the same, the world would be so boring and parenting would be easy! How true that is. As for Nathan, he is a child with no schedule (which drives me crazy!). I can't seem to figure out his nap times yet and so it is hard to plan my day including when to put Silas down so that they can nap together. I'll lay him down and he will scream like you wouldn't believe and so I let him do that for awhile and then pick him up and he's happy as a clam! It drives me crazy. He really just wants to be in the action of everything. When he finally does nap, it is only for 45 min, which isn't enough time for me to do anything and he won't go back to sleep. It's so hard to get frustrated at a baby that smiles so much! The good thing is that he is sleeping so good at night, so I shouldn't complain too much. I'd much rather have him sleeping at night and I guess we'll figure out the naps when we can.

On a side note, Silas is starting to realize if he goofs off in front of Nathan, he will get Nathan giggling. We spent 10 min at the supper table last night watching Silas make Nathan laugh. It was hysterical!

Well, I think that is it for now. I had best wrap this up for today. Here are some recent pictures.

Nathan and Daddy watching the train.

Daddy and the boys enthralled with the train.

Nathan likes to watch Haven and will sometimes laugh at her. Haven is thinking....."oh no, another one that will be chasing me soon!"

What Nathan is up to.

Well, we are almost done with the medicine for the ear infection. That has been a treat trying to get that stuff down. He's such a sweetie that he will smile during it, spit it out, get really upset but then continue to smile. I'll attach pictures to show.

Other than that, he's getting stronger (and bigger) by the day! When he's on his stomach he's pushing up a lot and rocking, so that is neat to see. He's also rolling over (most of the time on accident). He's also really into his feet which is cute, although makes it very difficult to change his diaper! Here are some pictures to enjoy!

Reminds me of, Popeye.
This is before medicine, looks so happy! doesn't know what he's in for!

After medicine, yes I think we do get some down him. But still happy!

See, I can reach over my belly and touch my toes!

In action, rolling over.

A tough lesson for Silas

For those of you that have visited our house, you know that Silas's favorite toy is a beat up vacuum. He loves to pretend he's vacuuming with me and his absolute favorite thing to do is chase our dog Haven with the vacuum. Well, we are going to have to say good-bye to the vacuum.

First of all, I got it at a garage sale this summer, so it is already a hand-me-down toy. When we first got it, it was in great shape and it talked, etc. Well, the first thing that went was the extra hose, it broke off. Silas wasn't too upset about that. Next, the talking went away. I'm not sure if it is the battery or abuse! Silas was pretty upset about that, but soon forgot that it even talked. Well, after even more abuse, the wheels are barely turning, it is making a terrible sound and I think we'll have to part with it. I'm thinking we will do it over night and avoid the asking for the vacuum!!!

Anyways, here are some pictures before we say good-bye.

He looks pretty innocent with the vacuum, right?

Here he is chasing Haven down the stairs with it.

This is just a cute picture. He got this outfit for Christmas from Miss Sandy, and he looked so handsome, had to take a picture. What a charmer!

Nathan Update

Nathan is now 4 months old believe it or not. We had his doctor's appointment today and it was very interesting. First of all, I must admit Nathan is a very easy baby. He's a pretty happy baby except usually at like 8:00 pm when he gets fussy, but other than that, he's so easy going. Well, at his dr's appt today she looked in his ears as he's just grinning at the doctor and we're commenting about how happy he is and she looks at me and says, " He has an ear infection"! What! Sure enough, both ears have infections. He has had a cold, but he is pretty much over it and hasn't been any different, so I was just shocked. So, my audiologist in me came home and got my otoscope out and took a look for myself. Sure enough, he has an ear infection. Nathan is also following in Kurt's footsteps with very sensitive skin and so along with medicine for his ears, she put him on some hydrocortisone cream for his skin. Poor guy!

Here are some statistics from the doctor's visit. He now weighs 17 lb 1 oz which is the 88th percentile. His height is 26.25 inches which is 90th percentile. He has gained about 3 lbs in 2 months, so if he continues he'll be 20 lbs by 6 months. Silas barely weighed 20 lbs at his one year appt! Unbelievable!

Anyways, Nathan finally rolled over on Monday. I think it shocked him and he had so much momentum going he almost went right over. It was really quite cute. He hasn't rolled over since, but at least I know it is possible!

Other than that, Nathan is definitely a joy to us. He is so happy and alert and entertaining. I can't wait to see what his personality is like, because he just seems so laid back right now. He seems so different from Silas as a baby, so it's fun to think about how different they will be and unique in their own ways. I'll end with what Silas says to me when I carry both Silas and Nathan (yes I am still able to do that w/o breaking my back)....he says, "Momma's two boys" how cute.