this and that

Oh, hey there.  Is anyone still reading this thing?

The break from blogging was somewhat intentional and unintentional at the same time.  This year so far as been filled with some good personal changes for me.  One of which involved simplifying wherever possible, and so the urge to feel like I had to regularly fill this blog space with something currently happening in our lives has faded.  As well, life is so busy raising kiddos right now I wouldn't have much time to blog even if I wanted to.  That being said, I feel like I might someday regret failing to document at least a bit of this time in our lives.  I am planning to write an Oliver update soon, hopefully after his first birthday in a couple of weeks.  Likely to follow that will be random, less detail-y joint updates on both kiddos.

I think it was back in January when I read "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up."  It was my long overdue dive into what I currently think of as modern minimalism.  Maybe it was the fact that I was home all day with two tiny humans in the dead of winter slowly going a bit stir crazy, or maybe it really was the overwhelming feeling that comes with owning too much stuff, but either way something sparked inside of me that decided it was time for a change.  I spent nearly every spare moment for weeks (months?) going through every drawer, cabinet, closet, and room using the Marie Kondo method of removing all the contents, laying everything out on the floor, and then basically throwing out every item that "no longer brought me joy."  Four SUV-packed loads taken to the thrift store and several bags of discarded trash later, and I was feeling physically lighter and less cluttered than ever before.  The desire to "lighten my load" overflowed into other areas of my life as well.  I deactivated all my social media accounts with the exception of Instagram.  I stopped following all blogs and stopped writing on here as well.  I went through my phone and removed digital clutter - apps that no longer served me and hundreds of photos of the kids because really, in 20 years I will not need 3,000 photos of Arlo at age three.  I will want perhaps 20-50 of the best ones, which I have kept.  I am certainly not a true minimalist.  Not even close.  We still have far more "stuff" than we will ever need.  The biggest takeaway from the whole experience was the learning to let go of things.  With the exception of a few sentimental items - photos, plants I have had forever, projects I have made and cherish, I could part with just about anything I own now.  Getting rid of things has become easy, and gone is my tendency to hoard items that I "might someday need."

Shortly after Oliver turned six months, I went back to work.  I felt ready months before I actually went back, but the desire to keep him out of childcare was stronger than my urge to get back to being a nurse.  I started with one day a week and then eventually went back to two, which feels like just the right work/life balance right now.  I truly enjoy my job, working in general, and seeing my coworkers who are also my friends.  The boys stay with one of two stay at home mamas who I found to care for them, and they both love going there because of the existence of friends and new toys that are found at each location.  I have become friends with both of these mamas, and they are now people we meet up with for playdates on that days that I am not working.

Around the time I went back to work, I also joined the gym.  Those two things have been game changers for me.  The ability to have a day or two a week to go be "Kendra the nurse" combined with an hour or two to myself on the days where I am not working, has done wonders for my happiness (and sanity.)  I am a much better mom when I am able to get some time to feel like I am getting to be me.  I am not going to lie, kids are hard.  Between the three-year-olds emotional meltdowns and a teething baby, the days can be long and stressful if not approached with some type of survival plan.  I don't mean for it to sound all bad - these challenging moments are interspersed with times the boys will play nicely together in the playroom, have a living room dance party, or laugh wildly as they chase each other through the house.  I'm thankful for these times and they are some of my most favorite moments, but the truth is some days the hard ones seem to out number the easy ones.  Those are the days that I don't know how I would calmly get through if I wasn't able to get some de-stressing time for myself.

When Erik approached me with his idea that joining the gym would be of some huge benefit to me, he presented it to me as something I could attend without even working out since the childcare is available for anything you want to do while on site.  Our gym has a sauna in each locker room, as well as a lounge area that many moms use for relaxing/catching up on social media/making those phone calls that are impossible to successfully make with small humans in the room.  I liked the idea of having those options available to me and he did get my attention by mentioning them, but once I got back into it I realized how much I missed the intense workouts I so used to enjoy (and to this day I still haven't even used that sauna.)  After Arlo was born I never really got back into running, and certainly didn't spent any time doing strength training outside of a semi-regular yoga practice.  Now I am back to doing both, as well as spin classes and other intense strength/cardio classes.  As apprehensive as I initially was with taking a six month old to group childcare, it went far better than I anticipated it would.  Oliver is a favorite of the staff, and they all know the boys well since we are there most days of the week.  The boys both get some energy out playing with toys and friends and I basically get to do the same, my toys being the gym equipment.  I am thankful that Erik encouraged me to get back into it, and while my body will certainly will never look the same as it did before growing two humans (nor do I ever expect it to) I am as feeling as fit and as strong as I ever have been.  Which feels pretty damn good.

At the end of May, Erik and I took our first trip since Oliver came into the picture.  My parents came to stay with the boys, and Erik and I went to Puerto Rico for six days of kid-free adult time.  I remember the first full day we were there, laying on the beach overcome by this feeling of true relaxation that comes only with having zero schedule, zero responsibilities, and no one to answer to but ourselves.  After nearly a year of being "on duty" nearly every minute of everyday, the feeling was foreign and only then did I realize how much Erik and I really needed the break together.  Our days were filled with swimming, surfing, quiet date night dinners, and drinks in the middle of the day just because we could.  I can't wait to go back someday.

Puerto Rico, May 2017

In July we took our first big trip as a family of four.  We had road tripped up to D.C. a couple weeks prior, but the trip to Michigan was the first time flying with both kids.  Overall, the travel went well, but it was still a lot of traveling.  We stayed with Erik's parents for a few days, then drive four hours north to Alpena for part two of the trip.  My family reunion was the main event up north, and it was great to see all the family who I only get to see every two years.  I was able to connect with two of my childhood friends, and meet their kiddos who I had not yet met.  It was a wonderful trip, and one I would consider a great success considering the logistics of traveling so far with a three year old and toddler. 

The summer so far here in North Carolina has been mild and enjoyable.  We missed out on a week long extreme southern heat wave when were in Michigan, and the temps in the high 80's/low 90's have allowed for a lot of outside time with the kids.  At the beginning of the summer we refinished our back deck, giving it a fresher look as well as creating a space that is much more kid friendly.  We've gotten a ton of use out of our $9 plastic kiddie pool and water table, and Oliver is now at the age where he can enjoy most of the same outdoor activities as his big brother.  He was an early walker so trips to the park are great for keeping the boys busy and entertained, and the library is still a frequent destination especially on rainy days.  It's only early August but somehow it feels like summer is almost over.  Our local grocery store put out their Halloween decor two weeks ago and the teachers and kids seem to be prepping for their return back to school already.  I'm not quite ready to give up summer yet though and am looking forward to at least another month of swimsuits and sticky watermelon hands. 

Arlo (3.5 yr) + Oliver (10 mo), June 2017

So, I guess that's a quick snapshot of 2017 so far.  There is more of course, there always is, but I suppose these are the main events.  More on the kiddos and what they are up to in a later post...

Oliver: six months old

Half a year old already!  Here is what our sweet boy is up to at six months.  Also, yes I intentionally skipped his five month post and the next will probably be at nine months. 

January 2017 - five months old

February 2017 - six months old

Sleeping:  Bedtime has shifted to an even earlier hour and this little guy wants to go to sleep for the night anywhere between 6:30-7:30pm.  He sleeps through the night until anywhere between 4:30-6:00am (typically on the earlier side of that range), which yes, is super early, but he is sleeping solidly for 9-10 hours stretches so we can't really complain about that.  I have grown accustomed to the early bird wake up call and am now beginning to enjoy the hour or two I get alone with Oliver in the morning before the other boys wake up. 

Naps are sort of on a schedule but not always.  If he wakes up super early then he will take a short nap two hours after he wakes up.  Another nap around 9am and then he is typically awake until his afternoon nap at 2pm, which usually lasts 2-3 hours.  Arlo has nap or quiet time at the same time so that is when I (usually) get a little break in the day.   At four months I tried to transition him to naps in his crib and he did okay, but they never lasted more than 40 minutes and when he woke up he will still tired and cranky.  So I decided to try again at five months with a Merlin Magic Sleepsuit which our neighbor let us borrow and he hated it.  I have since tried a few more naps in his crib to see if I could get them to last longer with not much success.  He doesn't nap in the swing anymore so we have progressed to him sleeping in his room, but always in the rock and play.  Nights are still in our room, also in the rock and play.  I have given up on trying to get him to sleep in the crib, I will figure it out when he officially outgrows the rocker and hopefully it will be easier when he is a bit more mobile and can make himself more comfortable in the crib on his own.

five months

six months

Eating:  Oh boy.  This kid loves food.  Our pediatrician encouraged us to start solids at four months, and initially I was like "um, no we will wait until six months like we did with Arlo."  But then at 4.5 months we randomly let him try a tiny taste of avocado and he loved it.  For the next month we did super tiny tastes of veggies and then really got serious about solids at 5.5 months.  He was definitely ready and within a few meals was gobbling down an entire jar of food.  By six months he was up to two full meals a day (breakfast and dinner) which is fun because he now sits at the table with us and absolutely loves the social aspect of it.  He hasn't had a food yet that he hasn't liked, veggies, fruits, grains, peanut butter - this kid isn't picky.  He is also still drinking the homemade formula we have been using since his newborn days.  Five ounces at a time, every three hours or so.  We stopped receiving donor breast milk around 4.5 months and I am so happy we were able to give it to him for so long!

six months

five months

Weight and length:  He was scheduled to have his six month appointment last week but with the flu prevalence we have right now in our area I opted to postpone his well child visit for another month.  There was no way I was taking both of our healthy kiddos into an office full of sick ones just for a checkup.  If I remember I will add in his stats here later or I will just post them with the next update...

Wearing:  9 month onesies, 9 and 12 month pants.  Jammies are 12 month and 12-18 months (what?!)

six months

Likes and dislikes:  Oliver has really started to get into playing with all the baby toys lately, which is quite a difference from his brother who was never really into baby toys all that much from what I remember.  This past weekend we brought out Arlo's old wooden activity cube and found that Oliver will sit next to it and entertain himself for a good bit of time.  He loves, loves, loves his brother and Arlo is definitely the biggest source of entertainment for him these days.  The more Oliver smiles and laughs at him the more Arlo will preform, so it's quite the show to watch these two together.  He still finds most things hilarious - zippers, light up musical toys, and peek-a-boo are all sure to get this kid laughing.  He loves his walker and can cruise everywhere in it.  The other day Erik came home from work and Oliver, in his walker, came zooming over to the door to greet him with a huge smile on his face.  He also loves swinging on the swings at the park while big brother plays, and cruising in the bike trailer with dad on the weekends. 

All this being said, no baby is happy alllll the time.  I expected teeth to pop through months ago but this kid is taking forever to get there, however he is still showing all the signs of teething pretty hard core.  Drooling like mad, chewing on everything, rosy red cheeks.  He's got it all.  I am beginning to think they might all just come through in one go, ha.  So this is definitely his biggest dislike these days.

New milestones and developments:   Right before he turned five months he started rolling over both ways.  Just this past weekend (he's now a little over 6 mo) he started army crawling and the very next day decided that he could finally sit up on his own now too, so long as we put him down in a sitting position.  We have upgraded him to the highchair for meals (to which Arlo first questioned "Oliver is in my highchair?!")  He has grown quite curious and always wants to know what everyone is doing, which his walker helps him to accomplish.  He is typically in his walker when I am making dinner, and during this time will go back and forth between zooming laps around the island and watching his brother play in the playroom.  I certainly wouldn't describe him as a "gentle" baby, as he grabs forcefully for what he wants (food, my hair, toys that Arlo is playing with) and rams his walker hard into things, even taking out one of my plant stands and potted plants recently.  He babbles in all the usual baby ways, although what I have been hearing the most of lately is "da da" and what sounds like "yea."

Arlo - 3 years   /   Oliver - 5 months

happy half a year old, sweet baby Oliver  :)

ho, ho, holidays 2016

It's February and I am just now posting this?  Oops.  It was written last month and I never got around to hitting post.  So, better late than never...


I had plans to give each holiday its own post.  But between all the other birthday and milestone posts I've been working on these past few weeks the holidays kind of fell by the wayside...  So, here's a combo post with a little bit about the entire holiday season of 2016.

thanksgiving

Our theme, if you want to call it that, after Oliver was born, has been to keep things as simple as possible.  We didn't plan a lot, or anything really, in the months that followed his birth.  We decided before he was even born that we would stay home through the holidays this year, and invite family to come to visit us.  In years past, we have always traveled to DC to be with Erik's family for Thanksgiving, and Tennessee to visit my family for Christmas.  Keeping in the tradition of spending Thanksgiving with Erik's family, they opted to come to our house.  His parents flew down, as did Scott and Caitrin.  We were also lucky enough to have our friends Anne and Zach join us.  Anne and Zach are both vegan and Zach is also a food blogger who loves to cook.  So when he volunteered to make most of the Thanksgiving feast, I happily agreed to it.  And feast it was, there was no shortage of plant-based deliciousness on our table.  I think there were three different kinds of "meat" plus all the usual fixins.  And pies, three delicious homemade pies (thanks Zach!!)  Even the non-vegans agreed it was a wonderful meal.  And during the gathering it was realized that we had all sort of matched our outfits, completely unplanned.  So here is the photographic evidence of our well-coordinated gathering...

family pic minus the babe who was napping

Arlo, me, Erik, Caitrin, Scott, Jill, Rich, and a Lucy head

plaid boys

grey girls

The rest of the long weekend was pretty low key.  Erik and I got to enjoy a date night out with Scott and Caitrin while the grandparents watched the kiddos.  Arlo was sad to have everyone leave, but no one was more upset than Lucy, who entered into a full 24 hour depression after Papa Richard left.  He spoils her with two walks and more attention in a day than she receives all week.  She has fully recovered thankfully and I know we are all already looking forward to their next visit.

christmas

Before the holidays even hit this year, Erik and I planned on a very low key Christmas, keeping the gift giving as simple as we could.  Even though it doesn't feel like we buy much for the kids throughout the year, the little toys here and there, combined with gifts and free secondhand toys given to us by friends and family really seem to add up.  I spent hours in the weeks before Christmas clearing out toys and books from the playroom, and packed up several grocery bags worth of stuff to donate.  I knew more toys were coming and "too much stuff" in general has been a big stressor for me lately.

When we asked Arlo what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas this year, he initially told us "a pillow, a Christmas flower, and a spoon and fork."  Later in the month he decided on a flashlight and was consistent in his request from then on.  Fortunately, flashlights are easy to come by.  We also bought him a memory matching game and a Richard Scary book, which is definitely his new favorite book.  I loved Richard Scary books as a kid and even though compared to todays books they are rather dated, I knew Arlo would love his style.  Since Oliver is a baby and needs nothing at this point in his life, we opted to wrap up a few of Arlo's old baby toys as his gifts.  It ended up working out great, Oliver is just coming into the age where he can start playing with baby things and as well it was a great transition to hand down some of Arlo's old toys.

We went with friends to visit Santa the week before Christmas.  Arlo was so excited to see him and both boys sat on his lap without any tears or meltdowns. We went to visit Santa at a new location this year, a local sporting goods store that really goes all out for the holidays.  They provide you with a free professional photo and wooden frame, as well they let you take as many of your own photos that you want. There are also kids crafts set up along with all the other fun things the store has on display year-round.  We made a whole morning out of it and Arlo had a great time.

My family came to stay with us for Christmas this year, including my sister Megan who flew in from Chicago. The days leading up to Christmas had Arlo asking us which morning that Santa was going to come.  Finally, Christmas eve arrived.  We all watched Elf together (and Home Alone after Arlo went to bed - this is a tradition Megan and I have done since the year it came out) and after the movie we put out cookies for Santa.  Except we didn't actually have any cookies so Arlo suggested we leave Santa cashews and almond milk.  And since Santa gets so many cookies already we decided that was a fine idea and Arlo happily put them next to the fireplace.  And then proceeded to eat nearly the whole bowl, ha.  I did convince him to save a few for Santa before he went off to bed.

The next morning Arlo was very excited to wake up and see the presents under the tree.  We waited for the whole family to wake up and migrate downstairs, by which time Oliver had already fallen asleep for his morning nap.  So we let him sleep while we all opened presents and set his gifts aside in a pile.  I promise kid, we won't do this in years future.  My favorite part of the gift opening was how Arlo responded to it.  He would find a present under the tree, and we would tell him whose name it had on it.  He would then take the present to that person and either help them open it or stand next to them and wait patiently while they opened it, and then reacted with amazement at each gift.  He was as excited for everyone else to open their gifts as he was when he found one for himself.  Geez, I love him.

The rest of the weekend with family was spent much like Thanksgiving, somewhat lazy but also productive as Erik and I got to sneak away for a little alone time again.  And I decided to go for a hike and then run four miles all on the same morning which was a terrible idea because I am still, nearly three weeks later, dealing with a knee injury.  Gah.  Anyway, another nice holiday season with family in the books.

interview with Arlo

An interview with Arlo, three years old.  While the majority of this is true, the rest is completely silly and I think it got sillier as the questions went on and on.  Anyway, I am curious to see how he answers these questions now and again in six months or a year.

What is your favorite color?  blue 

What is your favorite animal?  pig

What is your favorite kind of truck?  garbage truck

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Handy Manny for the airport

What is your favorite show?  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

What is your favorite movie?  Elf (last movie we watched as a family)

Who is your best friend?  Carter and Oliver

What is your favorite toy?  flashlight, it's really cool!

What is your favorite food?  tacos

What is your favorite drink?  milk

What is your favorite place to go?  the big big park and the airport

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  whale and mickey mouse

What's your favorite thing to do at the park?  the big slide

What's your favorite book?  my nest is best (a Dr. Suess book that's really titled The Best Nest)

What makes you happy?  mommy

Really, mommy makes you happy?  no.  daddy makes me happy (giggles here)

What makes you sad?  Oliver

Why does Oliver make you sad?  Oliver wants to hit

What makes you laugh?  daddy (giggles again)

What makes you feel scared?  alligators

How old are you?  3

How old is mom?  3

Hold old is dad?  4

How old is Oliver?  2

If you could do one thing tomorrow what would it be?  See Lyra and play with turtle puller

What does dad do at work?  computers

What does he do on the computers?  says something is okay

What does mom do at work?  ummm.  hospital.

What does mom do at the hospital?  give shots to people and feel them all better

Where do you live?  North Carolina

What does Lucy like to do?  chew things up

What is something mommy says to you?  stop.  daddy's mad.

What is something daddy says to you?  Three Musketeers!

Arlo: 3 years old

Having left toddlerhood behind him, here is what our now three year old is up to!

What a fun age.  I feel like a broken record here, but I am constantly feeling like the age he is at is my absolute favorite.  Arlo is growing into such a sweet little boy, and is only more and more fun the older he gets.  He is more independent than I imagined him being at this point.  He wants to do as much as he can for himself, which is helpful now that there is another kiddo in the family.  He has so much concern and compassion for others, and I hope this never changes.  He has always been something of the adventurous sort, but definitely knows his limits and will ask for help when he needs it.  He's a social little guy and it's not uncommon for him to try and chat up other kids and adults when we are out and about.  He's always been my little buddy and my sidekick, but now it feels more like I am hanging out with a friend all day.  I can ask him things like "what should we have for dinner?" and "is there anything special you want to do today?" and he will answer with his requests.  That being said, his requests are usually "waffles or cereal" for dinner and this morning when I asked him what he wanted to do today (it's early January, cold, and pouring rain right now) he responded completely seriously "how about the beach?"  Ha.  He's such a fun little person and I am so proud of the little boy he has become.

Arlo is continuing to thrive on a fully plant-based diet.  We have only very recently started discussing what meat is and kind of planting the seed to help him understand why we eat the way we do.  I know in the coming year he will likely start to question our dietary choices and we are prepared to answer his questions when he does.  We are lucky he is a kid who will eat his veggies, loves beans and grains, and doesn't reject too much of what we offer him.  I think this has a lot to do with the fact that this is how he has eaten his whole life and he just doesn't know any differently.  He still drinks his plant based milk blend (hemp, oat and soy) daily.  He knows he gets a cup in the morning and after dinner and will now go to the fridge during those times and get it himself  - we keep already filled cups on the bottom shelf in the fridge for this purpose.  He's still not big into sweets but has enjoyed a few bites of baked goods on occasion.  Favorite foods at this age are: nuts (ALL kinds, he asks for them daily), baked tofu, green peas, rice, in-shell edamame, pasta, bell pepper strips, veggie pizza, burritos, apples, grapes, berries, and dried fruits.

 

Arlo's bedtime is somewhere between 8 and 9pm, usually falling on the earlier side of that range.  He's allowed to stay up a bit later on a special occasion, such as for a family movie night or if we have relatives in town.  He is up for the day between 6:30 and 7am, occasionally sleeping in a bit later.  Thankfully, he still takes a mid-afternoon nap, most days.  We are no longer at a point where it's a struggle to get him to stay in his room and lay down and after reading a book or two together he curls up and goes to sleep without issue.  Some days he tells me he isn't tired and I will let him play or read in his room, but the vast majority of those times I check on him 20 minutes later to find out he has climbed into bed, covered himself up, and is snoozing away.  Usually I try and get Oliver to nap around this time so I have some "me time" during the day.  Occasionally I get a 2-3 hour window where both boys are napping and my productivity during these hours is impressive.  Days where no one naps are usually pretty challenging and I find myself drained and wanting to crawl in bed myself by 7pm.  I'm secretly hopeful he's going to be one of those kids who will nap until they are five but that might be wishful thinking. 

Arlo had his three year well-visit with the pediatrician this week and is currently weighing in at 28.5 lbs.  He went from the 10th percentile at his two year checkup to the 16th percentile at his three year visit.  He grew nearly 3 inches from his second birthday and is now up to 36.5 inches tall which is the 28th percentile for his age, exactly the same as last year.

Clothes-wise he is still pretty comfortably fitting into 2T stuff.  Aside from a few pairs of sweatpants that are 3T, and pajamas which are now all 3T, his shirt and pants are still all much of what he wore last winter.  I did have to buy a few new pairs of pants at the beginning of the fall, some size 2 pants that are on the longer side but narrow in the waist to fit his long and lean frame.  Current shoe size is 7-8, and I will mention here that this kid loves all kinds of boots and jumps at any chance he has to wear them.

Arlo is still really, really into books and reading, and if he's playing independently there's a good chance he's sitting in his playroom reading to himself.  He has memorized most of the books he has and while he doesn't know the words verbatim, he will turn through the pages and describe what he knows is going on.  It's pretty amazing and I love that he is still so into books.  For Christmas this year, Arlo received a few games and we are just starting to get into playing them.  Memory matching games are his current favorite and it's a lot of fun to play them together.  He's not so into drawing or coloring right now, given the option he would rather play with play doh or kinetic sand.  Puzzles are also not really his thing but give him wooden blocks to build with or pillows to make a fort and he can entertain himself for a long time.  So, it's kind of obvious he is more of a builder than an artist.  He is also really into tools and fixing things, which comes as no surprise given who his parents are. Still obsessed with the Harbor Freight catalog dad gets in the mail and will pour over it as soon as it arrives.  He loves looking at maps and we just started teaching him the 50 states, he already knows several of them (and when he points to Ohio always says "that's where the Buckeyes play!" ha.)  Imaginative play has taken off even more since his last update.  His toys all have voices and are good at conversing with each other now, and if I walk into the living room and there is a row of pillows lined up I know that I am now standing in "the ocean" and that it won't be long before he excitedly tells me to quickly get on "the bridge" (pillows) or "the boat" (the couch.)

He also enjoys riding his bike outside and is getting better at using his balance bike.  He can get going on the green way by our house and pick his feet up to balance for short distances.  He is very observant, noticing if the tiniest thing has changed in his environment.  The other day I put a different hand towel in the bathroom because all the usuals were in the wash and he immediately asked me why we were using Lucy's towel, which I guess technically it was.  He notices the tiniest noise and always wants to talk about what made it.  He is also very into opposites right now and is enjoying identifying things that are the same or different. 

Arlo loves his little brother like crazy and is happy to help where he can when with Oliver.  The other day I walked downstairs to find that Erik had Oliver laying in his play gym and Arlo was sitting next to him in the bumbo chair (yes he still fits in this, and I'm convinced he probably will until he's five), and Arlo was reading a book to Oliver.  I watched them for a moment and when Oliver started to make a little noise Arlo said "it's okay, I'm right here Ol-vi-der."   He loves to play with other kids at the park and community center, and becomes very concerned if someone is crying or upset.  He seems to gravitate to the older kids, and talks all the time about his cool, older friend Carter, who is five.  One morning a few months ago he played at the park with a six year old boy named Max and told me for weeks and weeks that Max was his best friend.

Overall, he's a pretty easygoing and mindful little guy.  He is still a three year old though and at times it's more obvious than others.  He likes to have his voice heard, most often when Erik and I are trying to have a conversation between ourselves.  He will butt in with a very serious "No!  You stop talking.  I need to talk to mom."  It's actually hard to keep a straight face during these times because his attempt at complete seriousness is so stinking cute.  There are also small meltdowns here and there over little things, fortunately those are not too common.  When he gets worked up over something we tell him he needs to calm down before we can proceed and sometimes this involves going to the calm down corner.  There is technically no "corner" dedicated to this instruction, he will just go pick a spot on the floor and sit there a moment before he comes back and states that he is now calm and feels better.  We don't use time outs and for now the calm down thing seems to be working well to help him work through his moments of overexcitement.

Three busy, exhausting, crazy, fun, trying at times, but so filled with joy years with this kiddo.  Can't wait to see what changes this next year brings for Arlo and our family as a whole!

Arlo turns three

Since this year was his first birthday we were celebrating with just the three (now four) of us, we decided to let Arlo choose what he wanted to do all day.  His birthday requests were simple: waffles for breakfast, a morning spent at Marbles kids' museum, pizza for dinner, and to have strawberry cupcakes as his birthday cake.  Being such reasonable requests, we did our best to make sure his wishes were fulfilled.  Erik had the day off so after Arlo's requested breakfast of waffles, we packed up the fam and headed downtown to the kids museum.  We didn't know it until that day, but being New Years Eve the museum was having it's own celebration, a "countdown to noon" party for the kids.  So the place was packed, but Arlo still had a blast.  His favorite areas during this trip were the tool/construction tables and the room filled with giant foam building blocks.  Although the latter could have something to do with the fact that Erik was more into those foam building blocks than any of the kids were, building huge towers and letting Arlo knock them over.  Always a kid at heart that husband of mine is.

After we arrived home, we had lunch and then the boys took their naps.  I spent the afternoon working on the requested strawberry cupcakes, and never having made a fruity cupcake before it was something of a challenge.  Let it be known I am not a baker, and am much more comfortable in the kitchen where I can put in "a little of this, a pinch of that."  You just cannot have that mentality as a baker.  Anyway, I digress.  For all of Arlo's birthdays this far I have made him cupcakes from scratch, and I didn't want to break tradition.  So, I did my best to veganize the best strawberry cupcake recipe I could find.

Arlo took a wonderful three hour (!!) nap, and woke up excited to finish his requested birthday festivities.  We had originally planned to go out for pizza (Mellow Mushroom has vegan options in case you are wondering) but since it was getting late we thought it best to just pick it up and eat at home.  After dinner we sang Happy Birthday to Arlo and ate the strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting and a strawberry on top (can you tell I really wanted these to have as much strawberry going on as possible??)  Sadly, the cupcakes were not very good.  The cake part was gluey due to a new egg replacer I tired, and the frosting was runny from the pureed strawberry I put in it.  Surprisingly, Arlo took one bite, told me he loved them, and proceeded to eat nearly the entire thing.  Which, is actually one of the first times he has ever enjoyed a baked good.  Go figure!

After dinner we watched the OSU game (which obv didn't go well for them, womp womp) and put the kids to bed around half time.  We originally planned to not buy Arlo any presents this year for his birthday and let the "day of fun" be a gift instead.  His birthday falls so close to Christmas and the last thing this kid really needs is more stuff.  However, we had a stuffed Corduroy bear on hand that we had planned to give to him for Christmas but ended up not, so we decided to surprise him with that before he went to bed.  I had it sitting on his bed next to his favorite Corduroy books when he came in after his shower and he was super excited to find it.  At the end of the day Arlo told me his favorite part of his birthday was "the candle and Marbles museum." 

Another special birthday for our super special little guy.  We hope he enjoyed it as much as we did.  Happy third birthday, Arlo!

Oliver: four months old

spoiler alert:  he did not get what was on his wish list this year....

Sleeping:  Mid-month, we had a challenging week in this department.  Teething, a runny nose, and a growth spurt had us constantly trying to figure out what was wrong with our usually happy little man.  He had about a week of waking up between 4 and 5am, sometimes wanting to go back to sleep and sometimes not.  Fortunately, it was short lived and now, even though we are still feeling the teething pains, sleep is back on track.  Bedtime is between 8:30 and 9pm and he is up for the day between 6:15 and 7:15am.  I do realize how lucky we are to have had not one but two good sleepers and I do not take this for granted.  I feel a little guilty when other moms ask me if he sleeps through the night yet and I tell them his sleep schedule.  But... I also really, really enjoy my sleep so I don't feel that guilty, ha.

Naps are kind of all over the place right now.  I feel like we were on a better nap schedule in months prior.  Once he wakes up for the day he's usually up for maybe and hour or two then wants a short morning nap.  Then awake again for a couple more hours then wants to take a long morning nap, however this usually falls around the time that we are trying to head out for our morning excursion.  So the poor kid just has to kind of catch sleep when he can.  Sometimes he sleeps while we are out and about, sometimes not.  Depending on how the morning goes for him, sometime in the afternoon he will snooze for another 3-4 hours, but this could start at 2pm or 4pm, I never really know.  Maybe in the next couple of months we will have something more consistent going on but for now everyday is a little bit different.  He is also still taking all of his naps in his swing which we keep downstairs in the living room.  I like that I can watch him nap and am always nearby when he wakes up but sometime this month I am hoping to transition him to napping in his crib.  He still sleeps in his rock and play in our bedroom at night.

Eating:  No change from last month.  Still on donor breast milk and formula.  Our milk donor mama is a rock star for providing us with milk for this long.  Oliver still eats 4 oz at a time, every three hours or so.  Definitely tanks up at bedtime which is something I think helps contribute to sleeping the whole night through without waking up to eat.

Weight and length:  The reason this post went up a little late is because I was waiting to add in these measurements that were taken at his well child visit this week.  This little chunkster has gained nearly three pounds since his two month check-up.  He now weighs in at nearly 15 lbs, putting him in the 26th percentile for weight.  He grew almost 2 inches since his last visit and is now measuring just under 25 inches in length, which is the 19th percentile for babies his age.  Head circumference is up to 17 inches, 86th percentile.  Don't worry kid, your older bother already has quite the collection of abnormally large hats that should fit you just fine.

Wearing:  6 and 9 mo onesies and 9 mo pants.  At the 4 month mark we stopped swaddling him at night and surprisingly he had no problems with it.  So now he wears footed jammies to bed, also size 6 or 9 mo. In the last couple of weeks I packed away the newborn cloth diapers and got out the stash of larger sizes, which he is fitting well into.  So happy to have him in my favorite diapers now, the Coqui Hero's.  

Likes and dislikes:  No big changes here.  Loves to look at faces and just seeing mama or dad will bring out his wide, gummy smile.  Also loves to look in the mirror.  Laughs like crazy when we pick him up super man style and put him up in the air.  Still likes his swing and play gym.  Loves being naked and taking baths.  Also loves being in his walker and playing with the toys on it.  Loves to watch Arlo and has recently started smiling at the silly things his big brother does.  Enjoys holding onto toys and rattles and is mesmerized by ceiling fans.

Still showing all the signs of teething although nothing has popped through yet.  I would be surprised if by his next update he doesn't have his first tooth.  Teething is still his biggest dislike.  However now he can better hold onto teethers and frozen washcloths so those have been a minor help, or if nothing a short distraction from the pain.  Poor kid. We also learned this month that Oliver does not like to be deprived of his afternoon nap and then held by strangers, ha.  During three separate social gatherings he had a complete freak out after being passed around by new people.  He's still way too young for the whole "stranger danger" thing so I am sure it was due to overstimulation.  These next few months will be spent working on his social gathering etiquette, so not to worry if you were one who was offended by his rude conversational skills this month. 

"hurts right there, mom."  : (

New milestones and developments:   Right at the four month mark we saw some big changes with this guy.  He is suddenly so much stronger and can wiggle around in his swing and rock and play so we now have to make sure he is buckled in.  He has started to reach out and grab toys, and will now take things from us when we hand him something.  Mid month he started rolling over belly to back but hasn't rolled the other way yet.  It's not far off, he can roll completely to one side from laying on his back.  He laughs and coos often and occasionally seems to be having complete conversations with himself, babbling away in complete baby talk.

Looking forward to all the new changes we will see in the next month with this sweet guy!

things my toddler says...

Arlo has become quite the chatterbox and we all know that the things kids say are the best.  Here are a few of my favorites from recent months.

earlier this summer...

While eating dinner one evening, Arlo suddenly starts talking really fast and says very excitedly: "the shark came out of the ocean, over the bridge, into my house, and ate my macaroni!"

October:

One morning while getting him dressed...  I hadn't washed my hair in a whole week and I am pretty sure I had been sporting the same messy bun for three days straight, he tells me "your hair is so beautiful" as he reached out to touch it.

After baking banana bread with Mimmay before he took his nap, he was finally allowed to try some after dinner that evening.  Even at almost three years old, Arlo still does not like sweets - muffins, cake, ice cream, candy, chocolate - he won't eat or even usually try any of them.  This time he actually tried a bite and said "I like it!  Thanks Memere.  It's my favorite food!"  I think he actually ate maybe three bites and then didn't have any interest in eating more.

Eating dinner one night, me at the table and Erik in the living room bouncing Oliver on the exercise ball.  Erik and I were talking about the day and Arlo, sitting in his high chair, suddenly spreads his arms wide and says "look at this whole kitchen!  look at this whole kitchen!!"

Arlo was playing with bubbles on the back deck while I was inside washing dishes (I could see him through the window.)
He comes to the door with a hint of panic in his voice: "I need a washcloth!"
me:  "for what?"
Arlo:  "I got bubbles in my mouth!!"
me:  "ok hold on let me get one."
Arlo:  "It's spicy!!"

This happens quite often these days...  I ask Arlo if he will go wash his hands before a meal and if he's too busy playing or just doesn't want to he will whine and tell me "nooooo, I washed my hands this morning!" (usually this is at like 5pm.)  Same applies to going to the bathroom.  After getting up from his nap I sometimes ask "do you need to use the potty?"  And he replies "Naw, I already went potty this morning."

Arlo pronounces Oliver's name "Ol-vi-der."  One day I pronounced Olivers name like Arlo does and Arlo said "No.  Don't say Ol-vi-der.  Say Ol-vi-der!"  So, in his mind he is pronouncing it correctly and totally picks up on me saying it differently.

November:

Arlo is obsessed with the weather. Every time he gets his hands on my phone he says he's going to check the weather, goes right to the app, and scrolls down to the radar to see if there's any rain coming.  He can also identify where there's rain and where there's snow.  One morning I had the news on and Arlo heard the meteorologist say it was going to be 64°.  He stop drinking his milk and with a completely astonished tone said "64°!?" like he just couldn't believe that would be the temperature.

Pronounces exclamation point "ex-cla-moosh-ion point."

When he hears something he likes he says "oh.  nice!!"

When agreeing with you he often says "yeah, yeah, yeah."

Instead of "ready, set, go!" He says "ready, steady, go!"  I don't correct him because really, there's nothing wrong with being steady before you go.

December:

When I asked him at the beginning of December what he wanted for Christmas his response was a confident "a pillow, a Christmas flower, and a spoon and fork."  He later asked for a flashlight and when I asked him to be more specific he brought me the harbor freight catalog and showed me a 24 inch LED work bench light telling me he wanted "one just like this."

On a couple different occasions, completely out of the blue, Arlo will tell me during a meal "mom, thanks for making my favorite food."  It can be something he doesn't even really love, but he just feels the need to thank me for making it.

Then there is the threenager attitide that emerges on occasion.  If Erik and I are talking and Arlo is feeling ignored and wants to say something he will point at one of us (usually Erik) and say very, very seriously "NO!  You stop talking.  I'm talking to mom!"   It's hard not to laugh when he tries to be so serious.  And he never really has anything urgent to say, it's pretty clear that he just wants his voice to be heard.

Whenever he is trying to convince us to do something his face will completely light up and he will say "Come on mom.  It will be fun!"  It can be something simple like reading a book, or going to find out what Dad and Oliver are doing if they are in a different room.  But no matter what he is convinced that it's going to be a really good time.  I really love your positive outlook little man.

One day after Christmas, we were playing a new matching game he had just received.  The characters were all from Disney movies and shows, and he kept asking me who the ones were that he was not familiar with.  I knew the vast majority of them, but when we came to two modern looking cartoon boy characters, I had no idea who they were.  I told Arlo just that and he replied "oh. well they look like troublemakers!"

I love this kid so freaking much.  Since he's no longer technically a toddler, hopefully a "things my preschooler says" will soon follow. I have a feeling these posts will be fun ones to look back on.