Monkey Business!

This is going to be a quick post with few pictures. I've been on call all weekend and I'm worn out. Plus we didn't have much going on!

Easton is ALL over the place. If you leave him on the lower level while you run upstairs, don't worry it will only be a minute and he will be up there with you. He can now crawl up all of our steps. Now if he would just learn to go down them! He can also take a few steps behind a walking toy!

Thursday the boys and I went to Auntie's house for a play date. My friend Sara also joined us. The kids painted, played and had lunch. On our way out of town we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's to drop off fresh groceries for when they got home from their trip (Auntie made them a hot meal). Also the boys could nap there. Little did I know I would spend the first 5 minutes running around their house trying to get the alarm off. After convincing the security company that things were fine, we were in the clear to nap. Only I had two boys that didn't want to nap so we just headed home.

As I mentioned this was my first weekend on call. It's been a busy one. Thankfully my co-worker covered for me on Saturday so we could take Spencer to see Curious George Live. Auntie, Finley, Uncle Patrick, Grandma, and Grandpa also came up to go with us. Easton stayed home with a sitter. He's too busy right now and we knew he wouldn't get anything out of it. We got the "monkey seat" package which meant we were able to meet Curious George before the show. I should have known better. Spencer HATES all things in costumes! He would have a major anxiety attack at Disney World. While George was in the room he kept asking to go buh-bye. Finally he warmed up and said goodbye to George from a safe distance away and told him he would see him on stage. He enjoyed the show but was tired when it was over!

First Snow!

The camera didn't come out much this week but that doesn't mean we weren't busy. It seems like no matter what it is that we are doing we are always busy. Last Sunday we met my parents for dinner. Their anniversary was on the 10th, so it was nice to celebrate with them a few days early.

The boys and I continued going to the Y at the start of the week. On Monday Spencer did NOT want me to leave him there to play. On certain days of the week they take the kids to the gym to play with trikes and bigger things. I thought maybe Spencer would have more fun playing in there. I brought him in but the only thing on his mind was going home (this is so not like him at all)! After getting him a ball, I found him facing the wall crying (that was enough to break my heart). I decided to go with "just rip it off like a band aid" approach and just run for the door, hoping that after a few minutes of crying he would be fine. While I was on the treadmill I got waved down by one of the teachers, there was no consoling him. Both him and I sat in the gym and watched the other kids play hoping it would warm him up to the idea of being in there. Then while I sat and watched he joined in and started playing. Eventually he told me he was ok and that I could go back upstairs. About 30 minutes later I went to pick him up and I could tell he was getting sad again. I know it will take time and it's all new to him. He does keep talking though about when he gets to play with his "other friends." So maybe he's warming up to the idea.

Wednesday I brought Easton in for a recheck of his ears. I was planning on her telling me that his ears were really bad and that he needed the antibiotic. I figured that could be the only reason why he's been whining and fussing so much lately. Nope, his ears were clear. She did look in his mouth though and he has 4 top teeth on the way. Now that would make anyone crabby. But since he's had a low grade temp and a snotty nose on and off for almost 2 weeks she told me to try the antibiotic anyway. I was dreading giving it to him because I knew how much Spencer HATED taking it and it was always a battle with most of it ending up running out of his mouth. Easton on the other hand seems pretty excited about it.

Friday the boys spent the day with Grandpa John and Grandma Julie. They agreed to watch the boys while Ryan and I worked. Spencer was so excited when he got up and saw them here. Grandpa John told me that they played hockey together in the garage at least 2 times and kept VERY busy all day. Later that evening while I joined the neighborhood ladies for an evening out Ryan took the boys out to dinner with everyone. I guess he must have forgotten that camera because we have no pictures!

We woke up Saturday morning to snow. The first thing Spencer wanted to do was go outside. So after breakfast Ryan and him bundled up and headed out. Even Easton tried to crawl out when the door was open. Spencer played for almost 2 hours in the snow! He would have stayed out longer had he had better gloves. I only had bought a fleece pair last winter because he didn't really play in the snow. Well, his gloves were soaked and his fingers were red by the time they came in.

Saturday evening was parent's night out at day care. We were able to drop the boys off from 4:00 - 9:00. We had dinner with Grandpa John, Grandma Julie and their friends before going to the hockey game. I snuck out of the game early and made a quick stop at Target before picking up the boys. They told me Easton took about a 45 minute nap but was wide awake when I got there. Spencer didn't want to go home with me. He was hyper!

Grandma Julie and Grandpa John stopped over on Sunday on their way out of town. Spencer got to help Grandpa pick football teams for his pool against Ryan. Afterwards the boys went out to the garage to play some hockey. It won't be long and they will be back up to visit!

So I brought home an In Touch magazine and there is a girl in a bikini on the cover. Spencer looks at it and says "Oh...Oh pretty girl" Seriously! Where did that come from?!

Boys Night In!

Last week I was so caught up in all that was going on with Halloween that I forgot to mention that I had Easton in for his 9 month check up. So here's how he checked out. He weighed in at 20 pounds (50%) is 29 inches long (75%) and his head is in the 50%. He's still about 2 pounds lighter then Spencer was at this age but the exact same in length. We talked about all the things he was doing and what to expect between now and his next check up. All in all the appointment went ok. We had two not so good things. When she was looking in Easton's ears she noticed one was red and inflamed. She said he might have an ear infection. That was a surprise to me since he didn't have a fever and wasn't really anymore cranky than usual. She told me I could wait on treating it but to come back in two weeks to have it re-checked. We go in this Wednesday and it can't come soon enough because he really hasn't been himself for the last week. He actually threw up one night in his crib. Now that was fun to clean up at 1:00 am. He's also had some blow out diapers. So maybe he has a touch of some bug going around as well.

The other not so good thing is she thinks he has some form of an allergy. Since he was a baby he's had some eczema. It was on his wrists and ankles and sometimes on his forearms. Over the last few months though it can be really bad on his checks and sometimes covering his back. We thought maybe it was more flared because he was cutting teeth  but she talked this time that maybe we should try switching him to soy formula. I wasn't thrilled at this idea and thought I would first try making sure I used everything scent free and use the lotions and soaps that are better for kids with eczema. In the end though I did switch his formula. I haven't really noticed one way or another if it seems to be the same or gotten any better. It's only been a week though so I need to give it more time.

Here is what our little 9 month old is up to these days.
*He's started going through that stranger anxiety. He cries now when other people take him or he is left  alone in a room.
*He sleeps about 12 hours at night going down around 7:00 pm and getting up around 7:30 am. He takes 1 to 2 naps a day.
*He went from just learning to crawl to crawling all over the place and even trying to go up the stairs. My favorite is when he crawls over to me and starts pulling up on my leg wanting me to pick him up. The down side to us not being ready for him to crawl as fast as he does is he fell down 3 stairs. Well, he actually slid down on his knees. So the baby gates are back up!
*He's a great clapper and so cute when he does it. He even helps cheer on his brother during potty time.
*I now find him sitting up or crawling all over his crib. We lowered his mattress a week ago.
*He's getting more table foods. So far he's had waffles, pancakes, peas, pasta pick ups, crackers, meat sticks, carrots, puffs, yogurt melts, cheerios, bananas, and other Gerber treats. He does ok with table foods, he tends to pocket the food in his mouth just like Spencer does and you will find him chewing on it an hour later.
*He's still working on the sippy cup. He can take sips from it but it's a good thing he doesn't have to drink from it all the time or he would be very thirsty!
*He loves playing with his older brother and laughing at him. It's been fun to watch the two of them form a friendship/bond. Spencer is such a good big brother and loves to do the things Easton is doing and help take care of him.

You can find Easton doing this kind of crawl now also.

So a little bit about Spencer now. He is 99.9% potty trained! He made a big accomplishment this week. He went from having 1-2 poop accidents a day to going on the potty sometimes 4 times a day! He will tell us now when he has to go and can even go in and do it by himself. He still needs some help though in the wiping department even though he tells his teachers he doesn't. He still wears a pull up at nap time and bedtime. He wakes up from naps 75% of the time dry but only 25% of the time at bedtime. We are so excited and proud of him! We celebrate each night after dinner by having a treat (left over Halloween candy) and call it a "pooping party."

This is what happens when you leave him by himself!

Ryan and the boys got to spend some quality time together on Saturday. They spent the morning visiting Grandma Nancy, Aunt Roz and Aunt Renee at their hotel. They were up in the cities doing some shopping at the Mall of America. They spent the rest of the day keeping busy around here. From Ryan's report the boys were pretty good but Easton didn't nap very long and was on the cranky side. It's hard as a mom to let go of the control while you are gone. I try not to worry about how things are getting done but instead just hope that they are having fun. When I got home this morning they were finishing up eating home made waffles that Ryan made for them and they were taking apart the rubbermade cupboard. It's kind of like when they visit Grandma, anything goes when mom's not home.

While the boys stayed home I joined my mom, dad and sister at the Luther Hospital snowflake ball. It was my first time going and the room was beautiful. It was nice to spend time with my family without being rushed or trying to entertain the kids. Grandma even bid and won a nice ring. We later found out she was bidding against a good friend of the family. Thanks for the nice night out mom and dad.

We joined the YMCA this month. I wanted a place for us to be able to go as the weather gets cooler to burn off the boy's energy. This week I met Jill, Gavin and Maddie at the YMCA. While the kids went to the kid's room to play Jill and I walked. I also took Spencer to open swim on Thursday and now today (Sunday) while Easton and I walked the track Spencer and Ryan played basketball. Hopefully Spencer will start adjusting better to the kids room, every time I've picked him up I can tell he's been crying!

I will leave you with a few words from Spencer:

"Goodness snakes"

"Don't lose me momma" as I was going up the stairs in front of him while he was still in the basement.

I asked Spencer who all he saw this weekend and he told me "Miss Roz" instead of Aunt Roz. That's how they refer to their teachers.

"I don't like Jelly Buttons" when he meant to say he doesn't like Jelly Belly's.

Look Momma I'm having a sister........

I should make it very clear, I'm not pregnant. He's been in a phase though he wants to take care of his baby (actually his Elmo doll) Like I do with Easton.