Go, Mr. Pickles, Go!

Henry is SO close to crawling, he can taste it! Look at this little booger, all in a perfect crawling stance. But then - doh! - he starts bouncing his butt and slides himself backwards. He rolls and scoots himself really well now - he just hasn't quite figured out the whole direction thing, yet. It's only going to be a matter of time and I'll be struggling to keep him in the same room with me.

He's also able to get into a sitting position on his own now. Stephen said yesterday after Henry did this, "Hey! When did he start doing that?" Like a good, caring mother, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I dunno. Huh. I guess that is new. Must have just started doing it. I guess." You mean he didn't come out of the womb sitting up on his own? How quickly I forget.

Read more...

Cat Puke & Glitter

I love decorating for Christmas. The tree, the lights, the sparkly ornaments - nothing makes me feel more festive and all around warm and fuzzy. However, there is a pretty big downside to having the decorations out - THE CLEANUP. No, I'm not talking about after Christmas when it's time to put everything away (although that isn't on my list of favorite tasks to perform, either). I'm talking about the little tree needles that I'm still vacuuming up in mid-July - and we don't even get real trees! The decorations that I have to continuously put back in proper order - see Exhibit A, the picture I took of the nativity scene in which Asher has gathered everyone EXCEPT the lonely baby Jesus (back in the barn) outside for a gathering. (It also appears that the angel has had a little too much eggnog and is passed out on the ground.) We have an infinite amount of kitty tree needle throw-up. Then there's unique instances of cleanup that you wouldn't even think of - like Exhibit B, where Asher managed to get glitter not only all over his hands, but also all over his mouth like a sparkly goatee. I still haven't figured out what he was doing with the ornaments to get so much glitter on his mouth, but maybe it's best I don't know.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Come to think of it, maybe I won't be so upset when it's time to do the big cleanup of putting everything away for the year.

Read more...

New Skills

Henry is this close to getting into a sitting position on his own and pulling himself up into a standing position. Earlier this week, Stephen went into Henry's room to rescue him from his crib after his nap and found him sitting on his knees. Guess we better lower the mattress in his crib before he perfects his ability to pull himself up completely.

Read more...

Christmas Bonding

One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is to put on some sweats, make a cup of hot chocolate, light some candles, plug in the Christmas tree, pop in a Christmas movie, stretch out on the sofa, and just bask in the coziness. With babies, however, this simple luxury of doing nothing is next to impossible, let alone be lazy AND enjoy it. The past couple of years, I've kind of had to let my Christmas movies collect dust because Asher hasn't had any desire in sitting still or doing anything close to relaxing. Bah humbug.

Well, we're still in that same boat to a degree with Henry, but Asher is beginning to enjoy movies and the art of lounging. On more than a few occasions, he's been very content to lie in bed with me and watch Sprout and words cannot describe how much I relish those moments. I love being a parent, don't get me wrong, but much of parenting does not revolve around actually enjoying your child's company. I don't know about anyone else's opinion, but I'm really not the biggest fan of dealing with temper tantrums or cleaning up the endless trail of messes that my children leave behind. Or changing dirty diapers or stressing about eating habits. I think a large reason why I am thrilled to just sit and stare at a TV screen with my child is because during this time he is quiet, peaceful, and snuggly. I can kiss the top of his head as many times as I want and he's too entranced to even notice, let alone brush me off. With the TV on, I can just hold him and enjoy his presence.

Anyway, I'm stoked that he is showing more interests in movies especially now that the Christmas season is here because now maybe I can enjoy some of my favorite holiday movies with him! The one movie he really loved last year was "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and a couple of months ago, he decided he wanted to start watching it again. I love this program, but after watching it almost every night for the past month at Asher's request, I was ready for something different. We watched "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Shrek the Halls" the other night, and although Asher sat and watched most of them, when they were over, he was ready for them to be over. When I asked him the next night if he wanted to watch them again, he said no because we watched them already. And then he begged to watch Charlie Brown. AGAIN. For the millionth time. (The logic of a two-year old cannot be explained.)

Personally, when I watched "Polar Express" a few years ago, I thought it was a little creepy and weird. However, I was excited to see that it was on TV tonight because I thought a movie about both a train and Christmas would have to be loved by Asher. Luckily, I was right. He remained glued to the TV during the entire two hours, became upset when commercials interrupted the movie, and randomly informed me throughout the movie that he liked the movie. I knew it was a winner when it was over and I told him that I'd recorded it in case he wants to watch it later on and he then started whining that, yes, he wants to watch it again. NOW. And, this time around, I enjoyed the movie so much more. Of course, I think part of that may be because I spent half of the time watching him watch the movie. The movie has a few suspenseful moments, which Asher is completely unaccustomed to - I've never caught myself biting my nails during an action-packed scene of Blue's Clues - so it was funny seeing his reaction when he was feeling tense. At one moment, he exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! That was CLOSE!"

With Asher's comprehension maturing, I'm so excited about Christmas approaching. Watching Christmas movies together is one of the many ways I hope we can celebrate my favorite time of the year.

Read more...

Mr. Mouthy

Asher is really on a roll today in driving his mother nuts. Defiance and stubbornness are set at maximum strength. Fortunately, during the part of the time when I'm not beating my head against the wall in frustration, I'm able to see the humor in some of his tirades.

Me: Asher, I'm going to go take a shower.
Asher: OK, Mommy. Can I splash you?
Me: No, not today. Mommy's in a hurry to get ready. Maybe tomorrow.
Asher: Come on, Mom. Cheer up. I splash you!
Me: Sweetie, maybe tomorrow, but today I need to take a quick shower.
Asher: NO TOMORROW! CHEER UP, MOM - I SPLASH YOU!

Asher: MOM! TRAINS! WATCH TRAINS!
Me: Asher, please be quiet. I'm giving Henry his bottle and he's trying to go to sleep -
Asher: NO HENRY BOTTLE NO SLEEP! TRAINS!
Me: Asher, you're being selfish -
Asher: I NOT A FISH!
Me: I didn't say you're a "fish," I said "selfish" - do you know what that means?
Asher: NO MOM I NOT A FISH! I NOT A FISH!

Me: Asher, it's time to change your diaper and get dressed!
Asher: No diaper change or get dressed - watching trains!
Me: You can watch trains after you get dressed.
Asher: No diaper change! OR! GET! DRESSED! MOOOOM! I busy! I have jobs to do! I watch trains, OKAAAAAAY?!

Me: Man, I am getting REALLY tired.
Asher: Tired, Mom?
Me: Yes, Mommy is tired. You boys really wear me out!
Asher: No tired, Mom! Not tired time, LUNCH time!

I am finally understanding what people meant when they said, "Just wait until they start talking!"

Read more...

Unseasonably Warm Weather

Today it was windy and gray outside, with a sprinkle of rain here and there. But, it was warm - 70 degrees - so no one was complaining! When I came home for lunch, I found two cutie patooties playing in the driveway, practicing their sweet driving skills.

Read more...

A Little Less Hair, A Little More Teeth

(1) I hate to say it, but my mother-in-law and my husband were right: Henry's baby locks had grown into a wild and crazy rattail. I mean, Henry is usually wearing more than just a diaper and doesn't drink Mountain Dew out of his bottle - he simply wasn't playing the part of white trash baby very well, no one was buying the act. So, I gave him his first haircut at bathtime, mainly just trimming up the back and sides. He was super squirmy, just like I thought he'd be, which is the reason I'd waited this long to cut it, but I managed not to pierce anyone's skin.

(2) Henry has still been pretty restless at night and cranky at times, and since his first tooth popped through a couple of weeks ago, I figured he probably had another in the works. (I remember with Asher they seemed to come in twos and threes.) Sure enough, this afternoon I felt another sharp little toofer poking out of his bottom jaw, right beside his first one. I hope he uses them for good (eating all his veggies) and not evil (biting his brother or eating my Oreos). Chomp chomp chomp!

Read more...

Seven Months of Pickles

Henry turned seven months old a few days ago. The closer he gets to the age of walking, the more excited I get! I feel so bad, but the kid really is almost too much for me to lug around anymore. We have a mirror at the end of our hallway, and the other night I was walking down it while carrying Henry. I caught a glimpse of myself with him in my arms and realized he is about half as long as I am - I really DO look ridiculous carrying him! He's exceeded the size limit of the Baby Bjorn, and we moved him to the larger car seat - so we no longer have the luxury of a baby carrier with a car seat base. He's able to sit on his own, so he can sit in a highchair or a cart, but he's not stable enough where he looks comfortable doing so for any period of time, so it's kind of tricky going shopping or to a restaurant. Poor little guy has just outgrown all of the helpful, comfy baby stuff too soon! He's getting pretty close to army crawling, though, and he keeps trying sit up on his own, so we're getting closer to independent mobility!

Henry loves to eat, so we know he's positively thrilled about sprouting his first tooth last week! Just a few more and he'll be chomping on steak in no time! We think more are in the works; this past week has been awful as far as sleeping goes.

My little big guy is so good at entertaining himself. It seemed like Asher would only last seconds when playing on his own (and sometimes that's STILL the case!), but Henry will often spend 20-30 minutes in his exersaucer or playing on the floor by himself before he starts getting fussy.

I think those are about all the updates in the Land of Pickles for now. I'm sure I'll have some more in the weeks to come...you know how babies are about constantly learning new tricks!

Read more...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like THREE

Not only have I been terrible about blogging, but I've been even more terrible about posting updates about Asher. You know, my firstborn - the one who, just over a year ago, had constant coverage on here. Then I went and got pregnant and basically fell off the face of the earth, taking Asher with me.

In just a couple of months, he'll be turning three. The first couple of years, I couldn't grasp how much he was growing and how quickly. Now, I'm reaching the point where it feels like he's been in my life forever and I'm thinking, three? Is that it? Seems like he's been around a lot longer than three short years...

I've heard from many that age three is worse than age two, and I'm starting to see where people might think that as we approach that age. We really didn't experience the "terrible two's" with Asher; for the most part, he's been a little sweetheart. Lately, however, my little sweetheart has been more stubborn, more loud, more rambunctious, more moody, less cuddly, more demanding and particular, and has been spending increasing amounts of time perfecting his sweet temper tantrum throwing skills.

Some of his outbursts are pretty funny and cute. Like, when he can't quite figure out how to tell me to leave him alone when I'm annoying him and points at me and tells me, "GO LOOK AT CARS, MOMMY!" Or, "I told you to BE QUIET!" Or, "I can't do that, Mommy - I BUSY!"

Some of his outbursts are downright frustrating and make me want to throw myself out a window. Like, when he refuses to brush his teeth many nights. What should take less than five minutes ends up taking fifteen to twenty. Or when he begs for something, you give it to him, and then you get, "NO, NOT THOMAS! WANT REGULAR THOMAS!" Or "regular" noodles, or "regular" juice, or "regular" yogurt...Not to mention, what he deems as "regular" seems to change on a daily basis. I had absolutely no clue that one of the requirements of being a parent was having the ability to read minds.

I have a feeling it's going to be a bumpy road to independence, which is to be expected. I just hope there will be more stories to tell of good than of bad.

Read more...

Since Winter Is Obviously Right Around the Corner...

I've had to wear my coat to work for the past week, it was sleeting on my way home at lunch, and the number of leaves on the ground is beginning to outnumber those on the trees.

Winter is coming!

Since the next round of pictures I take will probably involve snow, I thought I'd go ahead and post a few pictures I took last weekend of Henry playing in the leaves.

These are some of the good pictures. Most of the pictures, however, were of him eating leaves or trying to eat the pumpkin. And notice that Asher is not seen in these pictures. Asher was busy running around behind me like a busy little squirrel frantically searching for nuts. He has apparently decided that he will no longer participate in posed photos if it requires holding still or looking at the camera.

Read more...

Maybe There Is a Slight Resemblance...

Just about every single person we encounter swears up and down that Henry is a miniature version of Asher. In fact, this weekend, Mom and I were at Wal-Mart - she was pushing Asher in the cart, and I was carrying Henry in the Baby Bjorn - and a woman stopped and did a double take and said, "Twins?" Before we could answer, it obviously dawned on her that there was an age difference and she said, "Oh, I guess not!" It's funny so many people think they look so much alike, but I, the mom, haven't really felt that there was that strong of a resemblance.

But maybe I'm wrong.

I awoke around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. We were staying the weekend at my mom's, and Asher typically sleeps in bed with me, while Henry sleeps in the pack 'n' play. In my groggy state, I looked over at Asher and - wait - who put Henry in bed with me? Where was Asher? Feeling startled, I looked over in the pack 'n' play to find Henry sleeping soundly. I looked back at Henry in bed next to me, then back to Henry in the pack 'n' play. What the heck was going on?! How could Henry be in two places at the same time? What kind of Halloween trickery was being played on me?

Oh. Huh. That wasn't Henry in bed next to me. It was Asher. EERIE.

Then, last night, I was going through some pictures I took of the boys over the weekend, and found one in particular of Henry that reminded me of one of my favorite pictures of Asher from two years ago.

Asher, 2008:

Henry, 2010:

Yep, these boys are definitely brothers. Still not sure I totally agree with people when they say Henry is a replica of Asher, but they could never deny being related to one another. It's a good thing they're handsome boys - Henry should take it as a compliment that he resembles his big brother!

Read more...

Dragon Brothers

Last year after Halloween, when I was pregnant with Henry, Mom and I found this really cute horse costume at Cracker Barrel for next-to-nothing. Henry, of course, turned out to be really good at growing, so the horse costume was a good size-and-a-half too small for him. So, I found this cute dragon costume for him:

I had no idea what Asher should be, and when I'd ask him what he wanted to be, he'd just say, "Ummmmm....I unno." We took him costume shopping, but he seemed completely uninterested in everything there was. A monkey? "Ummmmm....sumpin' else!" How about an elephant? "Ummmm....sumpin' else!" A shark - a shark would be cool! "Ummmm.....hmmm......sumpin else?" He was no help. Even the Thomas the Tank Engine costume at Target didn't phase him. So Mom and I went to Old Navy and guess what they had there? A dragon costume! Not identical to Henry's, but a dragon nonetheless!

So we got home and asked him if he wanted to dress up like a dragon like Henry. Dragon brothers! Asher thought about this and then seemed pleased with the idea. For the past few weeks, when asked what he was going to be for Halloween, he'd say, "Dragon brothers with Henry!"

They were definitely the cutest pair of dragons I've ever seen in my entire life.

Read more...

Mr. Pickles Turns Six Months

Life has been pretty good for the most part here in Neenerland...just a little busy, to say the least. Who knew having two monkeys under the age of three would keep you so busy? And so crazy?

Henry had his sixth-month checkup with the doctor today. He's still a chart-topper, weighing in at almost 22 pounds (95th percentile) and just shy of 30 inches in length (above the 100th percentile). This might explain why my arms and back hurt so badly after having him in my arms for only a few minutes at a time! We've, thankfully, been given the green light to start feeding him soft table foods and juice because this child is CLEARLY malnourished and needs as many sources of caloric intake as possible! Oh, who are we kidding...I've been dying to sneak him spoonfuls of mashed potatoes at dinnertime for the past month, the doctor doesn't have to twist my arm! I mean, seriously - doesn't he look like someone who would love mashed potatoes?? Couldn't he be a model on a box of potato-flakes? Henry also had five shots and only whimpered a little - no crying! Asher even joined in the fun by getting a flu shot and was so brave that Daddy gave him a present as a reward. Daddy said Henry didn't need a reward because he doesn't know the difference, but don't worry, Henry - remember those mashed potatoes? Yes, your reward will come by the buttery spoonful!

Henry has lots of tricks up his sleeve, from sitting up unassisted to rolling wherever he wants to go to "inchworming" backwards. He loves bathtime now that he can sit up and splash and play with toys, but hates being "manhandled" when it's time to be toweled off and dressed. As I said, he's a big boy, fully into 12-month-sized clothes now and already wearing a few smaller fitting 18-month-sized items. I'm just hoping he won't catch up with Asher too quickly...although I guess I could just rotate the clothes between the two closets! Henry adores eating (Shocker? He is my son...) and pretty much likes everything except for green beans. He hasn't sprouted any teeth, yet, but I'm sure they'll be up before we know it - I can feel them charging through his bumpy little gums.

The boys are super sweet together and it warms my heart every time Asher gives Henry a big, unprompted hug or whenever Henry gazes at Asher with a huge, gummy smile. It's funny and a little remarkable to me when Asher wakes up from a nap and immediately asks to see Baby Brother or when Asher acting like a goofball is the only thing that will cheer a grumpy Henry up. Asher lets Henry "play" with his trains and Henry loves watching Thomas episodes with Asher on TV. Could they be two peas in a pod, or are they just softening me up before a horrible decade or two (or more?!) of sibling rivalry erupts?? Only time will tell...but in the meantime, I will bask in a disgustingly nauseating whirlwind of emotions over these two affectionate brothers...

Read more...

And He Continues to Grow

Henry had his four-month checkup on Monday and, no shocker, he's still a big boy. He's in the 90th percentile for height at 26 inches long, and remains in the 95th percentile for weight, at 17 pounds, 14 ounces.

I had no idea all those steroids would pass into my breastmilk - honestly!

In the past week, he's apparently started rolling over, too, although we haven't witnessed it firsthand. We always put him to sleep on his back like they say you're supposed to, but a few times we've found him in the morning lying on his stomach. He's also getting better and better at grabbing toys (and faces and hair and glasses...) and stuffing them into his little mouth.

He's pretty cute.


(Thanks for the picture, Jamie! I couldn't find a recent full-body shot of Henry in my stash, so I thought I'd use this one. I thought it was a pretty cute shot of Mom and Henno!)

Read more...

Bumbo Baby

Mr. Henry Pickles sure is growing up fast. My mom told me the second child seems to grow up faster, partly because he'll try to keep up with his older brother, and partly because I'll be so busy with two kids that I won't dwell on his growth so much. I'm finding this to be an unfortunate truth. As much as I'd love to pay as much attention to Henry as I did to Asher when he was a baby, I simply can't. Our pediatrician said this: Having your first child is so special, but having your second is so much fun. We may not put Henry under the microscope like we did with Asher, but we also don't get as frustrated with him or worry so much about him, which I think makes him a happier baby. Because really, who wants to be stared at all day?

Anyway, I mentioned in my last post that we've started Henry on baby food. Another change he's going through is sitting up. This boy loves to sit up and see the craziness going on around him. Mom bought him a Bumbo seat last weekend so he could have an easier time doing this. He seems to enjoy it. And then, just like with every other baby contraption we have, he's screaming to get out of it within ten minutes. But hey - ten minutes is enough to make a quick blog post, right?

Read more...

Feeding Time Struggles

The kids have me constantly worrying about their diets. Henry is a little butterball turkey, so he's obviously getting plenty of nourishment, but since I started pumping, I've become obsessed with how many ounces he eats and whether I'm producing enough for him, blah blah blah. Same annoying worries I had when I pumped with Asher. I stopped nursing Henry altogether for about five days last week because he has started becoming violent with the goods - my guess is he's frustrated because he thinks taking the bottle is easier - he gets to look around and I'm sure the flow is faster with a bottle. But, I started nursing again, and he's tamed down a little bit. Sometimes. We've also started him on solid foods. He's improved his eating skills quite a bit - he's getting better at swallowing instead of pushing the food out with his tongue and now opens his mouth when the spoon nears his pudgy face. And with the introduction of food comes STINKY diapers and MESSY mealtimes. I'd forgotten how frustrating it is to feed someone who flails his arms constantly and blows raspberries with a mouth full of food.

And then you have Asher.

The foods he'll eat: chicken nuggets, fish sticks, french fries, most fruit (with the exception of cantaloupe and honeydew), corn, grilled cheese sandwiches, plain noodles (don't even try putting any sauce or cheese on them), white rice (with just salt, pepper & butter), yogurt, any kind of bread, and cereal. I finally got him to eat a few bites of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich last weekend, and he said it was good, but I'm not adding it to the list quite yet. Of course he's OK with any kind of junk food you have to offer, and ketchup. This is what's all over his face in this picture. He'll eat it plain if we let him. He also likes to eat salt & pepper directly out of the shakers when we go out to eat. Do you know how grossed out I get when I look away for a second and look back to find him licking the top of a sticky pepper shaker? Almost as grossed out as I get when he does something like lick the floor at a restaurant under the table. Yeah. He won't eat macaroni and cheese or any vegetable, but he'll lick the floor at McDonald's.


Oh, and I did convince him to try cucumber last week. He nibbled a little bit on a slice before becoming completely distracted with the seeds, which he pushed around all over the table like tiny slimy cars, yelling, "BEEP BEEP!" I don't know if he liked it much, but I felt like buying him a car out of the happiness I felt over the fact that he tried something green.

Read more...

And Then Everything Was OK

I've been in a bit of a funk lately - not constantly, and nothing extreme - just enough of one to be a giant pain in the ass to both myself and my husband. I think it's mainly the bliss of returning to work that's gotten me down; being pulled in five different directions takes some getting used to. I'm sure it's not a new feeling for any parent out there, but it's really been hitting me hard the past week - that I'm not much more than just a mom. Don't get me wrong; being a mom is, in my opinion, the most important and rewarding job one can have, but sometimes, on occasion, I miss being Kim. I miss being able to run to Target on a moment's notice, or spend an hour editing and organizing my photos, or blog about my kid, or do laundry without having to re-fluff the clothes in the dryer ten times before I finally get a chance to fold them, or even just watch thirty minutes of TV that isn't something on Nick Jr. or Sprout. Asher was at the age where we no longer needed to drag five changes of clothes and twenty diapers with us everywhere we went. We didn't really have to plan our outings around his feeding schedule. He can sit up on his own. Get this - he can walk! Then we went back to square one with Henry and are having to adjust to giving up those tiny freedoms again. This time around, though, we are more hopeful because we know it gets better. We know this ball-and-chain phase doesn't last forever and, actually, up until I returned to work, I hadn't even really been bothered much by our return to newbornland.

Returning to work this time around is tougher, though. For one, I know Stephen is at home struggling with caring for two kids. And then, when I get home, I'm now having to split myself between housework and two children. I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that I can't be a good, attentive mom and get all the laundry done, bathroom cleaned, floors swept, etc. I might be able to get some of the laundry done and at least pick up the assortment of toys that were strewn about on the floor that day. And that's about it. As far as doing anything additional that I might want to do, I can forget about it. Henry's screaming at me to pay attention to him, and Asher's about to explode if I don't get another train video lined up for him on the computer.

It's funny, though, how one second I can absolutely feel like I'm going to bash my head through the wall, and then Henry will give me a giant smile (see below) or Asher will tell me he loves me, and then all is right with the world. Amazingly - that's all it takes. I wish there was some way I could bottle those smiles and coos and sweet and funny words that come from my kids and take a hit off of it whenever I need a pick-me-up. Because sometimes when I get that overwhelming anxiety attack, my kids aren't showering me with love. Sometimes they're both screaming at me at the same time, and both have poopy diapers, and both need to be fed. And this is why I have about a million pictures of my smiling babies plastered all over the walls of my house, so that no matter where I am and what kind of wringer they're putting me through, I can glance up, take a deep breath, see my happy babies and remember that I'm not just their mom. I'm a good mom. I may not be able to be in two places at once or have four arms to hold them at the same time or have floors clean enough that they can eat off of, but not once have I drowned them in the bathtub or driven them into a pond of water. I will always remind them of that.

Read more...

Back to the Grind

Sadly, my maternity ended a few weeks ago and I went back to work on July 9. I miss being at home all day with my boys. I think we're all still adjusting to my return to work, but slowly and painfully we're starting to develop a new routine.

Along with going back to work is the return of not being able to blog very often. I've just now finally uploaded all the pictures of the boys from June - just in time for the end of July!

Read more...

Two and a Freaking Half!

Wow. I haven't written one of these updates in quite awhile, and somewhere along the line, my baby turned into a kid. One who gives out kisses, says, "Oh Mommy, I love you," without prompting, one who totally knows what buttons to push on Mommy and Daddy to make them either laugh hysterically, melt into mush, or burst in a fit of frustration.

He's seriously amazing, as I'm sure most parents think their kids are. I mean, first you have this blob and just when you think he's never going to be anything other than a blob, POOF!, he's walking and talking and being amazing, and then at that point, you kind of forget that he was ever a blob...that is, until you have another blob and you realize just how truly mind-boggling it is that this little person was once a blob like your second blob is right now...What I'm trying to say is, I look at Henry and honestly can't picture Asher ever being that helpless or little. He's come such a long way from that bald-headed badgering baby he once was!

He's not totally grown up, yet, though. I had hopes that we could get a good start on potty-training while I've been on maternity leave, but our hectic schedules and his stubbornness hasn't quite allowed that to happen. Last Monday, I decided we should start, but of course Asher threw a fit and begged to wear his diaper. So, I told him he could keep his diaper for now if we could work on giving up the pacifier. He only gets his ba-ba now at naptime and bedtime. (I was a thumb-sucker for a long time when I was a kid, so I totally understand the comfort his pacifier brings him and I'm not going to take that away from him if he needs it to relax and go to sleep, but, like I did, he has to learn there's a time and a place for his crack!) He's whined for it a few times, but overall I've been impressed by how little he's missed it. It seems like either his speech is increasing or we're just better able to understand him without it in his mouth, too.

He recently became a big brother and boy am I proud of what a good big brother he's been! Seriously, I've seen only the tiniest bit of jealousy - occasionally when I'm holding or nursing Henry, Asher will beg to be carried or held - and I've yet to see any meanness directed toward Henry. Asher can wake up super grumpy from a nap, but if I bring Henry over to him, his mood perks right up. He is concerned when Baby Brother is not in sight, and is always trying to kiss, tickle, or talk to Henry. I can only hope he stays this sweet...it would be so wonderful if he and his brother could grow up and be best friends. Only time will tell on that, but at least for now all I have to worry about is Asher loving on Henry too much. You know, hugging can kill if you squeeze too tightly!

I mentioned earlier that Asher knows what buttons to push, and luckily he usually uses his knowledge for good and not evil. He knows that saying, "new pillow" or "marshmallow" in a super whiny voice with his lips all pouty makes his mommy laugh like crazy, so he's started saying other things that he wants in the same way to make me laugh (and to get what he wants in return!). He knows that hugs and kisses and hearing, "I love you, Mommy," are things that make me happy, so he's been doling such treasures out to me more and more frequently. He expresses concern when any of us seem upset or in pain by asking if we're OK. He is really good at saying please and thank you and you're welcome and bless you. He (usually) gives kisses and hugs and says "I love you" when saying goodbye to his grandparents. He is just a really sweet little boy.

I sure hope he stays this way and that turning three in a few months doesn't change things too much!

Read more...

My Chunka-Monka

Henry had his belated two-month checkup today with the doctor, and guess what? He's PERFECT! Okay, well, he's everything he's supposed to be. And even more so. The doctor and nurses were most impressed with his "healthy" size. Henry now weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 25 inches long, which puts him over the 95th percentile in both weight and height. Am I surprised by any of this? No...Mr. Pickles is actually already starting to grow out of his 3-6 month-sized clothes and is moving into 6-9-month. So, yeah, I sorta knew he was a chunky monkey. Dr. Timmons said he's more the size of a six-month old than a nearly three-month old, which led me to wonder, is he overweight? Nope - she said he's perfectly proportionate, so he's not overweight at all - he's just a big baby. Because of his large size and the fact that he probably has a large appetite, she also gave us the green light to go ahead and try giving him a little bit of rice cereal if we want.

Poor Mr. Pickles also had to have four shots in his little chubby legs today. He was so brave and only cried for a minute.

Since we were so close to his three-month mark, we won't be going to the doctor again until August for his four-month checkup. Let's hope he won't be in 12-month clothes by that time!

Read more...