Interesting Photos

Ben has been in Pagosa Springs, Colorado with his buddies Chris and Bruce for the past few days. They have had a wonderful time, and I'm certain that Ben enjoyed a little rest and relaxation. For about two weeks leading up to this trip, he was one busy man. We have missed him so much, however. I am eager for him to get home!

These pictures were taken by one of the webcams in Pagosa Springs. There are several cameras positioned around the town and on the ski lifts, and we can access (almost) live coverage of the Pagosa scene on the internet. The images appear as still shots and reload every minute or so. I happened to call Ben when he was near a webcam. SO, we took that opportunity to have a little fun. Here are a couple of pictures that I was able to save onto our computer of Ben (in orange), Chris (in maroon), and Bruce (in blue). The three of them are standing under a lamppost, near the white Suburban. I kept making the guys move (and they were good sports about it) so I could get a clear picture of them!

Swimming!

Today Lainey, Walker and I went to visit Emmy and Tuck. We didn't have Ben with us; he is still in Colorado, and thankfully, he returns home tomorrow (just in time for bath time and bedtime, haha!). Lainey and I played in the hot tub and the pool a little bit today and Walker tested the water with his little feet. Lainey was a bit anxious around the water, and I am fine with that. I'd much rather her be cautious than fearless. She eventually got her hair wet and jumped from the steps to Emmy but we didn't push her. We let her tell us what her comfort level was! She kept saying "dangerous" and "Mommy no do that!" when I was in the deeper parts of the hot tub and the pool. I hope that means that she actually understands that the water can be dangerous! We had a great time and I was even able to take a little nap. We got to see "Uncle Biden" (Uncle Brian) briefly and that was a treat as well. Thank you, Emmy and Tuck, for having us all over to swim! It was a fun day.

Here we go again...

Walker has a double ear infection. I suspected something might be wrong because for the past couple of days he has been fussier than normal, tugging at his ears, not sleeping well, and screaming as if he were in pain when laying flat on his back (making sleeping and staying asleep very difficult). Lainey acted the exact same way when she had an ear infection, except she never tugged at her ears. With her ear infections, her nose was always runny and while Walker sounds (and always has sounded) congested, he doesn't have a lot of drainage. After a lot of inner dialogue and talking to the nurse and worrying that an infection would definitely develop over the three-day weekend, I decided to take him to see the doctor. I'm so glad I did and honestly, I am a little relieved that I wasn't totally overreacting (because I've been known to do that). I jokingly asked the doctor if we could go ahead and put in ear tubes tomorrow and while he didn't agree to that, he did think that if Walker continues to get ear infections he could get tubes sooner than Lainey did because there's now a family history. We shall see how that turns out. Maybe this is just a random occurrence and he'll be free of ear infections for a while. Thankfully, summer is almost here and that will help (I hope).

I think you just end up going to the doctor a lot when you have two kids. We were there last week because both kids had colds (and Walker's cold lingered, leading to his ear infection) and then Lainey was in the office just two days ago because she had developed an unusual rash on her chest and arms. Thankfully, that cleared up pretty quickly and she seems fine now. Poor little Walker. I hope that he starts to feel better soon with his antibiotic. Otherwise, this is going to be a long Memorial Day weekend...

Being Two Years Old

I'm finding that having a two-year-old means that your day can be somewhat unpredictable. At least that is how it is in our house. Some days go smoothly with only a couple of meltdowns, and other days it seems as though Lainey wakes up crying and just continues to do so throughout the day. I think she's getting her two-year molars, and I do know that is painful. She wakes up in the morning with her finger in her mouth complaining about how it hurts. I think that it is just tough being two. Two-year-olds are figuring out that they are able to do things and make choices and decisions for themselves, yet they have parents and caregivers who impose boundaries and insist that sometimes the answer has to be "no." All in all, we are learning about life with a toddler and with each day Lainey seems to teach us something new about being two.

Fun things about our two-year-old...

• a growing vocabulary = funny sayings and and phrases
• communication skills are improving
• comprehension skills are improving
• new experiences and opportunities
• her daily laughter, smiles, giggles, and hugs
• her comments, questions, and observations
• her love for Walker
• hearing her say "Love you."
• creative play
• hearing that all of her behavior is normal, and that I don't need to be worried about it as a parent
• She's slowly getting better at putting away toys.
• I laugh about how literally Lainey takes the things that I say. For example, in the bathtub, I wanted to see if she could blow bubbles in the water. So I asked her, "Lainey, can you blow bubbles?" Well, you can guess what she did. She took a handful of bubbles and blew them out of her little palm. She does the same thing when I tell her to "hop up" because we need to get moving. She gets up from her sitting position and hops.
• No goal is unattainable in her mind. She thinks if she could just reach really high, and maybe if she stands on a couple of pillows, she could grab the balloon that is floating along the second-story ceiling in our living room. She does this with everything that is out of her reach; she will stand on her tippy toes and say "reeaaacchh" and stretch her arms up in the air or towards the object that she wants. Anything is possible. I love that!

And now, the not-so-fun things...

• the tears that flow when she doesn't get her way
• the words "share" and "take turns" and "be nice" seem to be losing their meaning
• two-year molars
• hearing "mine" and "my turn" and "myself" about four hundred times a day
• Using the excuse that "she's two" is getting old. But everyone seems to get it - it is just hard being two. Right?
• Listening skills? What listening skills?
• If you're doing something that Lainey wants to do, then she's happy. If you're doing something she doesn't want to do, then she's cranky. That's the bottom line.
• Separation anxiety is at its worst for us. And I thought we were over this stage in development. Lainey is extremely clingy to me. She is my advocate and my loyal little sidekick. I think it's because we stayed at home so much when Walker was born: no church, no gym, no Bible Study... I didn't have to drop her off in a nursery-type-setting for a couple of months (except for school, which she loves) and she got pretty used to that. For the most part (and there definitely are exceptions), separation from me is not fun for her. And it's not fun for me, either, because she cries and reaches for me and doesn't seem to understand that "Mommy comes back." Well, she does understand that because she always happily announces, "Mommy come back!" when she sees me but for some reason, she has a hard time remembering this when I do leave.

Don't get me wrong. I love our little two-year-old more than words could ever say. She is a true joy, a light in our lives. I am not ashamed to admit, however, that some moments are tough. It's all a phase, a stage, a season. With the ending of one, another one approaches. I can definitely say that things are never dull or quiet in our house (except at naptime and bedtime...ahhh...) and with each day comes funny stories and anecdotes along with a healthy dose of tears and frustrations. I am sure Lainey would agree with me on that one. :)

More iPhone Photos

April 17, 2010

I took pictures of Walker and Lainey in their car seats. I was sitting in the backseat with them for some reason - my guess is that one of them was fussy. Probably Walker!

April 28, 2010

We saw Keegan and his family on a walk. I think the two kids are planning their escape in this picture...

May 13, 2010

Lainey gave Reagan an enormous amount of food. As much as Reagan would have enjoyed eating that much, there was no way I was going to allow that to happen!

May 22, 2010

Walker is trying out his Jumperoo for the first time. I think he's still a little small for it, and he surely can't jump in it yet. But he's looks awfully cute...

May 25, 2010

I couldn't get this baby to wake up to eat. I needed him to eat and then stay awake for a while before I put him down to sleep for the night.

May 26, 2010

This is my attempt at a picture of the two of them! :) Lainey's much more focused on looking at Walker than looking at me. I think she's trying to get him to wave "hi."

First and Last Days of School

Lainey's first day of school - September 1, 2009

Lainey's last day of school - May 25, 2010

Our baby is growing up so quickly!! She had a wonderful school year - although she has yet to refer to school as "school." She calls it "church" which is technically correct; her school is at our church and she sees a lot of the same people at both places. :) Lainey's teachers are incredible and she has learned so much from them. I am so grateful to them for providing us with such a special, memorable first year of school. We will miss Ms. Jean, Ms. Kim, and Ms. Monica. We'll look forward to waving to them in the hallway next year as Lainey makes her way to the two-year-old classroom!

Funny Phone Conversations

Lainey cracks me up. She does this really funny thing when she's on the phone with someone. She thinks that the person she is talking to is able to see her (through the phone) and see what she's doing. In these pictures she's talking to Daddy, showing him "Lainey's juice." She also likes to show people "baby Walker" and her babies and a few times she's dressed up her Melissa & Doug magnetic dolls to show the person she's talking to how "cute" their outfits are. Half the time, the person on the other end of the line has no idea what she's talking about. It's quite entertaining from our perspective, though, and thankfully everyone that she talks to is patient and continues to engage her in conversation.

Sunday's Pictures

We had Yiyia and Bud and Uncle Greg, Aunt Tisha, Brooke and Kate over for dinner this evening. Lainey absolutely loves her cousins and had a blast playing with them. As she always does. Despite the fact that BOTH Lainey and Walker have nasty colds, they were in good spirits and happy to see their family members. Thanks for being such great cousins, Brooke and Kate. Lainey loves you both so much!

"1, 2, 3...GO!" (Lainey soon found that she couldn't go anywhere. The wagon was too heavy!)

"Ooh! Let me take a minute to watch the fan."

Saturday's Pictures

Lainey loves using these blocks to build castles, towers, and houses for her little plastic bears and her glass animals. She also likes to build bounce houses! :)

Walker's trying out the Exersaucer for the first time...with a little help from his big sister, of course.

He's still a little small for this toy. He's not quite ready for it yet...

At least I'm looking at the camera. :)

Walker and Mom

hanging out in the Bebe Pod...

"Can I get out of here yet?"

Airplane!

Walker loves playing airplane. It always makes him smile!

Little Reagan, who's always around for the action.

Sweet

I took this picture of our sweet boy just before I woke him up to go to his cousin Brooke's softball game. The poor baby has horrible allergies right now; I'm not sure what else to call it. I don't think the doctors would officially diagnose it as allergies, but I think that's what it is. His little eyes are watering and his nose is running (all clear, no sign of infection) and he's sneezing and coughing. He is sleeping, but not for long periods of time. He wakes up coughing and spits his binky out and just gets all flustered. I spoke with the nurse at the pediatrician's office today and was told to bring him in if he starts showing signs of infection or if he just gets cranky. Thankfully, he's his normal happy and pleasant self (well, when he's fed and well-rested) and I hope that he continues to stay that way. :)

From the picture, you can see how he's scooted himself around in his crib. He starts out in completely the other direction - a 180 degree turn from where he is in this picture. And you can also see his cute little hand that escaped the swaddle...so cute. We've graduated to a different swaddle blanket because he figured out how to get out of the Miracle Blanket. I am going to keep swaddling, however, for as long as he lets me!

Walker, 3 Months Old

Walker is three months old!

Walker is growing up so fast. Truly, the days and weeks seem to be passing me by at a rapid rate of speed. It's hard to believe that we're already in the month of May; we are almost halfway through 2010!

• Walker likes us to sing songs to him. He particularly likes "Wheels on the Bus" and "Pat-A-Cake." Lainey sings "Pat-A-Cake" at school and loves to sing it with Walker and help him roll and pat the cake with his little hands (that are generally balled up in fists). He listens to a CD of Christian songs (thank you, Kelley!) before bed or if he's settling down for a nap, and it seems to really relax him.
• He still grunts and squeaks in his sleep, although he's not as noisy as he used to be.
• The TV screen completely captures his attention. I think he'd like to watch some shows.
• The little guy loves to smile. He will stop sucking on his binky or he'll stop eating to give us a little grin or a sideways smile (that looks more like a cute little smirk). He has earned the nickname "Smiler" because of this.
• Walker doesn't like the wind.

• He has skinny little legs. I'm waiting to see if they chunk up like little baby legs do!
• He likes to play a little game with us, usually when he's in his bouncy seat or if we're talking to him while we're holding him. If we take our eyes off of him or direct our attention elsewhere, then he'll make little cute baby noises (or sometimes fussy baby noises) in order to bring our attention back to him. And then he rewards us with a smile. Darling boy.
• His lower lip can quiver like none other. This little guy can pout!
• Walker scoots all over his crib when he's asleep. I will lay him one way and then find him in a completely different spot when I go back in his room to get him out of bed. And he does all of this while swaddled!
• His right eye still gets very goopy, especially after he's been asleep for a while. :(
• He is quite the little chatterbox. He wants to have conversations. And he'd like you to smile when you talk to him throughout these conversations. So we "ooh" and "ahh" and "uhh" and "goo" a lot in our house these days.
• Walker has learned that he naps most comfortably when swaddled in his crib. He's getting too big to buckle into his bouncy seat and swing (while swaddled) so his crib is the best place for him to sleep. He's learning how to wriggle out of his Miracle Blanket, though, much to my dismay. Lately he's been letting a little leg or arm (or two) escape! I have a couple of other swaddle blankets and techniques that I'm trying out, so we'll how that goes. I think it's almost time to let him sleep unswaddled, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that... :). I think I broke Lainey of the swaddle when she was about 2-1/2 months old, and I remember how tough that was!
• He doesn't like tummy time anymore. I'm lucky if he spends 10 minutes a day on his tummy. He does roll over a bit more often, now, so that's helpful if he remembers to do that when he tires of being on his tummy.

Check out those cute little legs!

• Loud sneezes and sniffs (by men in particular - probably because they're louder) scare little Walker. He generally doesn't react if the offending sneezer is not in his immediate vicinity or if he's alert and playing, but if he's sleepy, drinking his bottle, or enjoying some snuggles with someone and the person sneezes, then it's all over. His little eyes will get teary and red and he'll scream like he's in an excruciating amount of pain. He will finally settle down, but not without letting out a few little "waahs" along the way. Lainey was also scared of sneezes; I think it must just be a baby thing.
• He is a sensitive little guy, I think. Sensitive to touch, sound, and his surroundings.
• I've come to accept the fact that Walker is just not a big eater. He will sometimes only take an ounce or two of formula, and other times he'll surprise me by taking four or five ounces. I think he'd like to eat small snacks throughout the day in addition to two or three meals. He sucks down the entire six ounces of his middle-of-the-night bottle, but will only eat about an ounce or two when he awakens in the morning. So strange and slightly unpredictable.
• He still has this cute little cry when he's slightly unhappy about something. He will say "waah" over and over, pausing in between each "waah," until we can make him happy again. It's so cute. I never tire of hearing it because it's just so cute.
• Walker likes to be held upright and facing outward, just like his sister did.
• Sleeping...well, he's getting better. He goes to bed somewhere between 8 and 9 p.m., and he will sleep until about 3 or 4 a.m. A few times he's made it a full 8 hours, sleeping from about 9 p.m. until around 5 a.m. I LOVE it when that happens!
• I was looking back at Lainey's 3-month page in her baby book the other day and noticed that Walker has fallen into the same patterns that she did in terms of eating and sleeping. The only thing that's different is that she ate WAY more than he does. Like Lainey once did, Walker likes to nap between each feeding, usually an hour to an hour and a half after he last awakened. Lainey would take a big nap in the morning, about an hour after she awakened for the day. Walker does the same thing.

talking to the little animals hanging from the bar above his bouncy seat

We love you so much, sweet boy! Thank you for being part of our lives!