"Thomas make a mess!"

Every day when Thomas wakes from his nap (or usually I have to wake him), he likes to slowly rouse in his crib. So I bring him his milk, open his blinds and wait for him to let me know he is ready to get out. Sometimes I have to go back in and wake him up...sometimes multiple times. About a year ago he went through a phase of spitting out his drink and letting it spill all over his shirt. He would basically just open his mouth or lips and let it dribble out, down his chin and onto his chest. He would do this until his clothes were sopping wet. I thought he outgrew this. Apparently not.

On Friday I was sitting in our room after I took Thomas his milk and I heard him saying "Thomas spit out milk." It didn't register at first, but then I realized what he was saying (and what it meant) and I leapt out of bed and into his room. But it was too late.


With his runny nose on top of the mess he made, he was quite a sight!

Ha! Notice we've now wrapped that end of his crib with an ACE bandage as he was chewing it to bits. This seems to be working! But it sure looks silly... Not to mention the wrapped railings to keep the railing covers down. :)

And since Thomas drinks soymilk ("very vanilla" soymilk at that) because of his dairy intolerance, the smell in his room was nearly sugary sweet and he was very sticky (as was everything he was touching or bumping into). He thought he was quite funny, as you can tell from this video (we'll call it "Make a mess"):


He was so wet, it went all down his front and soaked his pajama shorts all the way to the back.


The sheets were soaked in spots, and he had tried to use his blankets and a burp cloth I'd left in there to wipe his nose to clean it up. Everything had to be washed. I called Trey and told him about it and how Thomas needed a bath since it was even in his hair! But Trey was planning to give the dog a bath, so decided just to hose Thomas down while he was at it. Thomas enjoyed that just fine.


And he helped wash Sully too (or as he calls her, Sussy):




Eventually Trey took my advice and put Thomas in a swim diaper (guess we were too lazy for a bathing suit too!), but until then, we were just "those" people who have a child in a very heavy diaper. He didn't seem to mind though:


By the way, he's running and sucking in in this picture. He's not that skinny. Maybe that's his bodybuilder pose or something. :)

Mommy PSA re: bottles

I learned a little something recently and thought I'd pass it along to my fellow mom friends! I heard that Babies R Us, in response to the recent concerns raised about the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) used in many plastics, including those used to make baby bottles, is allowing consumers to return used bottles to exchange for those that are BPA free. I called our local store here and found that it is true! Unfortunately, they do not have a broad selection of BPA-free bottles, and the Born Free brand (of which they were completely out yesterday) is significantly more expensive, but they gave me a store credit so I could use the refund as I liked. As I was returning Dr. Brown's bottles and they did have the 8 oz. size in the 3-pack, I did get one of those. Still need to find a suitable alternative to the smaller size (they have the glass bottles, but I feel too accident prone for those!). And luckily, we don't use a lot of bottles.

Anyway, the FDA has not found a reason, yet, to be concerned about BPA use in these products. But to me, it can't hurt to be safe if there is another alternative out there, you know? And this action by BRU provides a wonderful opportunity to do just that.

So if you want to take advantage of this offer, I encourage you to gather up your bottles (they do ask that all parts be there, but you don't need any original packaging or receipts...as long as BRU carries the product), and go to BRU (soon before they change their minds!). Common bottles that use BPA are Avent, Dr. Brown's and Ventaire...essentially any bottles made of a completely clear plastic (not cloudy).

If you don't live in Charleston, you may want to contact your BRU to ask about this before you go (and I had to talk to three people on the phone before I found someone who knew the answer...ask for a manager!), but it looks like across the country this is happening, they just aren't advertising it.

Here's a very in-depth and interesting blog on the issue.

Oh, and sippy cups are an issue too. And I've heard that BRU is taking those back as well, but I did not remember to ask as I'm not ready to tackle that issue yet, and I found that most of the Nuby cups we use are BPA free.

Not identical, but not completely different!

People ask me frequently if I think Thomas & Parker look alike and the answer is... No. Not really! It's actually quite funny and interesting to me. I thought I'd go back and try to find like pictures from close ages and compare them. I can definitely say, without a doubt, Parker has WAY more hair than Thomas ever dreamed of having at that age. :)

And I must say, I do frequently see similarities in various expressions, and after looking at all of these pictures, I do think they are brothers. :) The hair just really throws you off!

Thomas at 2 weeks, Parker at closer to 3 weeks:



Thomas at 3 weeks, Parker at 4 weeks:


Same outfit... Thomas at 5-6 weeks, Parker at 1 month


Thomas at 6 weeks, Parker at 7 weeks:



Thomas at 9 weeks, Parker at 7 weeks:


Thomas at 2.5 weeks, Parker at nearly 5 weeks (so not a great comparison):


To get them to fit side by side, I have to show them so small, but hopefully you can still get the picture, so to speak. :) They do look a little alike, right?

One thing is for sure, both boys know/knew how to quickly pack on the pounds!

Edited to add: After all that sizing maneuvering, they still didn't show side by side, but I think it works that way. I'll try to fix it later if I can find the time!

Happy six years!

Yesterday was a crazy day around here with two no-napping boys, weather playing havoc with Trey's flights (and driving our dog crazy), and I never found much time to sit and relax and reflect on the special day. Six years ago yesterday, this is where Trey and I were...









And while the past six years have been filled with ups and downs (some pretty far down, I might add), some moving around and some living apart, we have managed to make it through and for that I am very thankful.

These days when we are the subject of a special event in a church, it's no longer just the two of us...it's the four of us.


I am thankful that I am married to a man who is such a loving and giving person; and he is such a wonderful father and role model for our sons. I hope that the Lord blesses us with many, many more anniversaries in the years to come (at least 60!). We have certainly been richly blessed with our two wonderful sons in our first six years. They definitely make the rocky road traveled to get them much more bearable.

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband!

P.S. So far today, naptime is not going well for the baby again...but sounds like the older one has decided to stop putting up a fight. Oh, and we all have a cold. Isn't that lovely?

And if anyone has any tips on how to teach a two-year old how to blow his nose, I'm all ears.

26 months old!

Today Thomas is 26 months old!






Another month has passed us by. The most unique thing about this past month has been watching Thomas become a brother. He is very nice to Parker, most of the time, and is most interested in knowing what he is doing or where he is at all times. The only problem this has caused is a major increase in separation anxiety.

Prior to Parker's birth, Thomas never seemed to care if we left him anywhere (i.e., church nursery, with a friend), but now it is a different story entirely. We tried to leave him in the nursery at church a few weeks ago (and took Parker in with us). We thought he'd enjoy playing. Not so much. We were paged after about 10 minutes to come and get our inconsolable son. He has gone to "school" four mornings over the past two weeks. The first one was okay, the second day was better, the third day he cried for the entire time he was there (8:30-11:15). On the fourth day he still cried, but ended up finding a new buddy in a different teacher and he was okay (the teacher had also asked that I leave his paci for him on that day as well, and he had it in his mouth when I came to pick him up).


(Not a pic from that specific day, just another day when I was taking pictures of Parker and Thomas wanted his own camera time, saying over and over again, "Thomas cheese! Thomas cheese!")

On a positive note, he continues to grow and develop. He's just under 30 pounds and I think he has grown a foot (just kidding!) in the past month. And he talks all.the.time. It's funny to me to think how I was once worried that he wouldn't start talking on "schedule." He talks so much that I have been trying to teach him the wonder of quiet time. :) Here's a little video of him talking (this is not particularly a great example, but it's something). We never do videoes anymore, so I figured we were a bit overdue.

Well, cancel that (for now), I can't seem to get the video to upload at any of my usual sources. It is too big. And neither boy napped today, so I need to try again later.

Anyway, he talks mostly in the third person, "Thomas get truck...Thomas eat Cheerios..." and says other things how they are spoken to him, "Mommy hold you Thomas" means he wants me to hold him. Sometimes we get a wayward "Hold me!" At night when he is going to sleep the most frequently heard phrase lately is, "Hair on dat paci, Mommy get it!" I think he has figured that hair or not, I will come. But I'm getting wise to him and not going every time I'm called anymore. This is another bit of regression since the little brother arrived (he's taking longer to get to sleep).



Eating is still a bit of a challenge. Currently his favorites are hot dogs and french fries and I think he'd live off them if I'd let him. I never thought I'd be the one with the two year old allowed to eat such things, but I've quickly learned just to go with what works (in moderation, of course). He's starting to like more fruits and is trying more vegetables. My mom got him to eat some raw squash slices the other day by calling them "squash chips." Funny. He still loves Moe's and that's the first and only place I've managed to take both kids all by myself. Whew!

He still loves all things with wheels and books. He will happy lay on any floor and play with his cars. And even though we aren't reading as many books with the new baby around, he still asks to read quite regularly and I try my best to still make it a part of every day life.

Thomas continues to play well with others (as far as I can see). He's a very laid back child, most of the time, and from what I've witnessed, he shares well and doesn't even mind when other kids snatch things away from him. He enjoys when we go somewhere with another child his age. Here he is on a recent trip to the aquarium with his friend J.




Finally, I must add that I've learned that the terrible twos are not a myth. Life if often a challenge, but we survive. It's amazing to see how smart (and manipulative) kids can be at such a young age. Sometimes I can almost see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure how he can best be bad! When I'm nursing Parker, if he is not getting enough attention he literally starts to do just about everything he knows he is not supposed to do, and he smiles while doing it! This can include hitting Parker (very lightly), stepping on my feet, messing with Parker's swing and sitting on the dog (among other things). Trey reminds him so often what he needs to do that many times when Trey calls the first thing Thomas will say to him is, "Listen to Mommy!" because he knows that's what Trey is going to tell him.

But through it all he is a joy. He makes me smile in so many ways and I am so thankful he is in my life. I truly don't know where I'd be without him.

A cheaper frenulumectomy

Why pay the doctor more than $300 to cut your frenulum (the piece of tissue that "ties" your tongue to the bottom of your mouth), when you can get a plastic Snoopy golf club and do it yourself? Ask my son.

(This picture has nothing to do with the story, other than he seems to be checking on his wound.)

Sunday night he had the golf club in his mouth by the handle. I didn't realize this (though it's something I tell him not to do all the time; and actually I think he put it in his mouth after I made my request) and I asked him to pick his milk up off the floor (as I was nursing Parker just before bedtime for both of them). He leaned over, with the golf club in his mouth, and the bottom of the club hit the floor and jammed the handle into his mouth. It didn't bleed too badly and I quickly decided it was not worth an ER trip. He did wake up twice during the night (the second time I gave him Motrin) crying and talking crazies and I decided to take him to the doc Monday morning (mainly because I couldn't see exactly what was going on in his mouth and I didn't know what I was looking for/at either). But I knew that babies sometimes have to have that thing cut to help breastfeeding or speech problems, so I guessed it wasn't a huge deal if that's what it was.

The doctor confirmed what I suspected, he ripped his frenulum...which apparently serves no real purpose at this point in his life. He said, "We charge $370 (I think) to do what he did for free!" He put him on an antibiotic just because the gash is so bad, but he expects him to heal just fine. And that's how my week started off.

The pictures are from today. He spent the morning playing with his Nannie while Parker & I went to my six-week post partum follow-up visit with my doctor. They played down at the lake for a while (hence why Nannie's hat was lying around) and then baked some cookies together.

By the way, I had them weigh Parker at the pediatrician's office on Monday and he weighs a whopping 12 pounds, 12 ounces. He was born at 8 pounds, 8 ounces, so this means he's already gained 50% of his birthweight!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Thomas and Parker would like to wish their Nana a very happy birthday today!!


They were both so happy to spend some time with you over the weekend. Thomas has been sleeping with his new red tractor and loves playing with everything in his "Quiet Church Bag." And Parker, well, he's ever so thankful that you were able to help him fall asleep (finally) yesterday afternoon. He's sorry for the exploding diaper he gave you while you held him. :)

Some examples of the times they enjoy with their Nana...

Parker says Nana helps him sleep...


Thomas says he loves that Nana gives him french fries and plays with him...


Both boys say they love how proud their Nana is of them (and she's there for all the big days!)...


Nana is lots of fun (an old one (the picture) but a good one)...


Nana gives great hugs and love...


And Nana takes Thomas one of his favorite places...OUTSIDE!


We all hope you are enjoying your time at the beach (even though it's kind of for work!), and that you were able to properly celebrate your special day. Hope to see you again soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Trey! You are a wonderful father to your two sons and we are all very thankful for you. Thomas loves to wear your shoes. And I think we'd be lucky if he and Parker both followed in your shoes and became such a great father to their own children one day. Much love to you on this day and always.

Congratulations Lily and family!

Thomas's good friend Lily became a big sister on Wednesday, June 11! Congratulations to the family on the birth of Sarah Ellen. I was so excited to just see new picture of her on the blog and we can't wait to meet her in person. She is adorable!

Parker is so excited that he can have a friend of his own, just like Thomas has with Lily! How neat that it has worked out the way it has.

We hope those first newborn days are going well! Playgroup on Wednesday, right? Just kidding...

A bad haircut, but good times

I mentioned that Thomas got a bad haircut yesterday. It was a lesson for me to either A) request the person I like to cut his hair, or B) be very clear about what I want anyone else to do. I've had pretty good experiences with his other two cuts. This one... not so much. It's how we went from this a few days ago:


To this:


Neither of those are particularly good hair shots, but you should get the point...slightly wet head and all. So oh well. I guess it will grow back. And it's not that the cut is horrible, it's just not what I wanted AT ALL and it gives him a look that I don't want. Oh well. Once again, I'll say, it will grow back.

As promised, here are a few more pictures from the past week...

Nannie & Papa came to babysit on Saturday night so that Trey and I could go to a party for some friends. We had a good time (hard to believe I went "out" so early this time around!), and the kids did fine. My parents were very brave and also babysat my 12-week old niece. Everyone lived to tell the tale. :) Anyway, before we left, we let Thomas play in the baby pool in back. We obviously need to get a bigger pool this summer! Here is his best Hulk impression:


And here he laughs at my funny faces as his Papa looks on:


As I've mentioned before, Thomas loves Bob the Builder. When his Nana saw something in the store recently, she just HAD to get it for him. A little outifit with Bob on it (or so we tell him). He thinks its great!


He has become a bit "shy" (or so he likes to ACT) when we take a picture of him lately. Silly boy...


And oh yes, there is another little boy around this house. He has spent the majority of his first six weeks sleeping. This week, however, he has not been going down without a fight sometimes. At least I have found that he finds it hard to resist the slumbering powers of the swing (just like his brother). Thank goodness for that contraption! It takes up a lot of space, but it's worth every inch!


He also has enjoyed finding his thumb (or entire hand) when he gets the chance:


I'd love to find out how much he weighs now. He seems like he is so big!

Yesterday I decided to give our lawn a much-needed drink and tried to encourage Thomas to get out and play in it. It took some work (and demonstration) but he finally started figuring it out. Last summer he'd just sit there and basically sit on top of it. This summer, not so much...yet!


Another look at that haircut I love so much...


He was "hiding" from the sprinkler by getting behind me. He loves looking at himself in the camera window thing:


Parker supervised from his perch on the porch...


Oh, the bouncy seat. Another great invention!

Well, my naptime solitude has come to an end. Time to release the hounds...or the boys, however you want to look at it. At least their Dad comes home tonight!!