Brotherly love

Last week, Thomas was having a little difficulty waking up from his nap. To give him incentive to sit up, I put Parker in his crib. Thomas thought this was great (I do it from time to time). It's so sweet to see how much he loves his brother, and how much his brother loves him right back!



Thomas shared his book with him by showing him the pictures (albeit a little upside down!):




I love watching them grow up together, and I know it's only going to get better and better!

Worn out

I need to catch up with this blog. I just uploaded 20-something pictures from the past few weeks and will try to post them here soon. First I'll start with a follow-up to Thomas's first day of school. On that day, he seemed very thirsty in the car and quickly inhaled all of the water I had waiting for him. When we got home, and mind you, this was after a playdate with Lily, he was definitely ready for his nap. I just love sleeping pictures, and it's been a while since I've posted one of him. So here he was, completely conked out after his first day of school.



You know he's tired when he falls asleep without a paci in his mouth!

He heads back tomorrow to start his second week. Hopefully he'll be able to go soon with no tears.

Well, naptime is over and Parker is calling for me, so I better run. Will try to get back later with the rest of the 20-something photos!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

A very happy birthday today to Trey! Thomas and Parker decided to send you their wishes. Well, Parker didn't have much to say, but he wore his nearly-birthday suit in honor of your day. :)



We're sorry we can't spend your day with you, but we look forward to seeing you soon. And as Thomas says, it's your day, go have a popscicle now.

Thank you for being such a wonderful, supportive, loving and fun Daddy and husband.

First day of school!

Today was the big day! Thomas started his first day in his 2s class at preschool. He will be going two mornings a week. Since he was a bit of a crier during his time at summer camp, I was a bit concerned, but all in all, he apparently did okay.

This morning he was his usual won't-smile-for-the-camera self:


I got funny faces instead:



And, of course, he didn't want to stand still, but all was fun and frolic for a little while...


Then as it got closer to time to go, I could tell he was getting a little nervous...


And all the way to school we talked about all the fun he would have and the friends he would make. He kept confirming that "mommy always comes back?" and he seemed reassured. When we drove up, he was still doing okay, but I could tell he was holding back a little bit. When the teacher's helper, Ms. Gervais, came to greet him, he got worried and the tears began. It's the only picture I have of his first day at school:


Ms. Gervais quickly told him that his Mommy was going to tell him bye-bye and then she'd be back later. So I took my cue, said my goodbyes and was gone. When I came back to get him, the teachers assured me that he did really well and didn't cry much at all (only that little bit at first). Later he told me, "Thomas cried a little bit at school, but not much. Teacher said 'no tears.'" :)

We haven't had much time to talk about his school day yet (after school we headed straight to his friend Lily's house for lunch and a playdate), but from what he has told me, they played outside, sang some songs (he mentioned Itsy Bitsy Spider) and ate some crackers. I asked him if he knew the names of any of his new friends and he said "Klauber," which would be Ms. Klauber, his teacher. I guess that's a start!

I know he's going to have a wonderful time at school and I'm so excited for all of the things he will learn and the new friends he will make. I look forward to always talking with him each day about what he did at school. It's always so much fun for me to do this. And as he learns to talk more and more, I'm sure our conversations will get all the more interesting (and comical, I'm sure!).

And while Thomas started his first day at school, I attended a "Sip & Sob" hosted by the PTO for the moms leaving their children at school for their first day of the new year. It was great to meet some other mothers, and I look forward to getting to know all of them better throughout the year!

Oh, and a funny little sidenote, we all went to Thomas's Open House on Saturday to meet his teachers (and other students and their parents) and see his classroom. We learned there are two duplicate names in his classroom. Our son is one of two boys named Thomas and there are two boys named.... Parker. :) Who knew our boys' names were so popular!

28 months old!

Last week Thomas turned 28 months old! In his prednisone-induced hyperactive state it was especially hard to get him to sit still for a few pictures, but we managed to snag a few, like this one:


Most of them were something like this:


And then I gave up on trying to keep him in the chair and tried for closeups elsewhere in the room. I got lovely photos like this one:


At least he's happy (or looks it! -- he's looking at his Daddy):


So yes, he is 28 months old and it's so hard to believe our little boy is growing up so much. He talks SO MUCH now. There's really very little he's not saying (except L and V sounds; L comes out as W and V as a B). He says the funniest things sometimes and I notice he's picking up so much from the books we read all the time. For instance, he's started saying to me when I seem upset about something, "Mommy, what happened?" I realized the other night that that is a line ("What happened?") from one of the old Sweet Pickles books (a series I had as a child) I've been reading him. One day Parker spit up and he said, "Parker...Ohhhh (said with great sadness and despair). What happened, Parker? You spit up!" Sometimes he does try to talk a little too fast and I have to remind him to slow down because his words get all jumbled and he gets a bit flustered. But he is doing so well and I'm so proud of him.

He will sing along a little with his ABCs and "Jesus Loves Me," and gets so proud of himself when he gets it right. Now I'm working on improving his manners...getting him to say his "ma'am's" and "sirs" and to ask for things by saying "May I..." It's definitely a work in progress, but he's doing better than I would expect. Lately he has been very good about saying "Thank you Mommy" when I do something he asks. And he often will say, "That's great, Mommy!" when he approves of something I do.

He still gives me one great nap a day; generally from 1:30-4:15 (and I have to wake him most days). He goes to bed by 8, or rather he is in his crib by then. And yes, he's still in his crib. He's not trying to climb out and I, for one, enjoy having a space where he can be contained. And since he usually is only allowed to have his paci when in his crib, he will frequently ask to go get in his crib in the morning if we hang out here all day and he gets bored or tired. I imagine he'll probably be ready for the "big boy bed" sometime between now and the spring, but I'm in no rush!

His favorite things in life, aside from his Mommy, Daddy and brother, are all things with wheels and everything he can drive. He is such a boy, that's for sure. He hates shopping with Mommy and has about as much patience with it as his Daddy does. :) He loves Elmo, Bob the Builder and Thomas the train, but we try to keep him mostly reading about them and not watching them. It's a struggle though!

All in all, he is such a sweet, loving child. He plays well with others and shares well. He starts school this week and I hope and pray it will be a wonderful experience for him. I know it will be an adjustment (for me and for him!), but I know it also will help him grow and develop in so many ways. It's only two half days a week, so it's a good start for all of us. I can't believe how fast these 28 months have gone by, and I look forward to watching him grow over the next 28!

And just for fun, a year ago this was our little guy...

And a year before that...


Oh how fast they grow!!!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

This day has been a crazy one. But the best thing about my birthday this year is that it's the first one where my child can actually tell me "Happy Birthday!" It's the sweetest thing ever. And he's been saying it to me all day. He'll say while he's off somewhere else, "Need to ask Mommy..." then he'll find me and say, "Happy birthday Mommy!" So even if the day is crazy and I can't seem to find a moment to myself (except for now when I'm totally stealing one by leaving T in his crib for extra time), at least I have that. And really, what else do I need?


(I've decided taking steroids (prednisone) makes Thomas a bit hyper and wacky. He will not sit still! Thank goodness he only has two more days on that! That's why he won't sit still for this video and who knows why he crawls away...)

I tend to sometimes be a bit of a nerd about numbers. For instance, on today, the 22nd, I am 33 on the 8th month of the year '08. That's a lot of doubles. Must mean it's a special day; and it is. This year our family is really complete. We have two beautiful sons who bring such joy and I have a husband who tried really hard to find me a dairy-free cake for my birthday (not to mention he's a wonderful husband and father on the other days of the year as well!). I have great friends, like the one who treated me and Thomas to a delicious dairy-free cupcake at Cupcake this morning to celebrate my and her daughter's birthday. Overall, life is good. And 33, as far as age is concerned, is just another number.

When you grow up...

I think that when my sons grow up they should become pediatricians. This will benefit them (and their future spouses) in many ways. First, they will always have at least some knowledge of what is going on, healthwise, with any children they may have one day. This will provide peace of mind that has more value than gold, as far as I'm concerned. Secondly, they will save themselves lots of money in coinsurance/copays/whatever for numerous doctor's visits for every little illness and injury.

This summer has been a doozy for us in terms of Thomas and his doctor's visits. He has continued to have his stomach issues (and we are awaiting a visit with the pediatric GI), he fractured his foot, and he seems to be getting every little virus that blows in the wind. Since last Friday he's been to the doctor TWICE. Since July 1, I don't even know if I can count the number of visits. It has been crazy.

But he is delightful through most all of it. He had a 103.something temperature the other night, in the middle of the night, and all he wanted to do was lay on the bed with me (at 3:30 a.m.) and chat about life. And this morning he came bounding (for as much as a 2-year old can do) up the stairs and when he saw me he said, "MOMMY! I'm so glad to see you, Mommy!" Awww...he melts my heart.

Lets hope he can get well, completely well, very soon. And then, of course, he starts school next week and I'm sure that will be a real test for his immune system. One day at a time, I suppose. And maybe, just maybe, his class will be full of children who are 100% healthy, all of the time. :)