Let's see...what's new?

David:

Well, he got bit on the cheek again at school. Ugh!! I noticed it immediately when I got home from work. Apparently, another boy bit him during a 'fight' over a book. This other boy is apparently new to the daycare. I hope this isn't a habit of his. This is now the second time my baby has been bit. I have a feeling it may be a power thing. The first time occurred when David was rather new to the school. He is such a good sharer (his teacher also confirmed this), I just don't see that as the problem. And he is sooo little. He needs to learn how to stick up for himself, although I don't want him to become a biter either.

David is on a Toy Story kick-why did I buy that movie?! We watch it nearly everyday (too often, I agree). If it was up to David it would just be on continuous repeat. He is now getting the remote and attempting to turn the DVD on himself. "Buzz-ear, Buzz-ear", he says. That's Buzz Light Year, for those of you not familiar with toddler lingo. He also says "a-o" for Mr. Potato Head, "Rocky" for Rocky, uh-the muscle man. He refuses to say "Woody" though-must be too tricky. I guess if he has to have a fixation on a movie, at least it's a good one. 

Last night, he was trying to scare Dave and I. He would run around the corner to get into a better position of catching us by surprise. Then he would shuffle his feet, scrunch down his shoulders and when we were in sight yell, "Boo!" It was the cutest thing and he was so proud of himself.

I finally made him a picture book with photos of family and friends. We don't get to see everyone very often so I hope this helps him stay familiar with all of the faces/names. He is always looking for "Joey" and "Bennn" (Jozie and Ben).

Henry:

I hope it's just a growth spurt because he is no longer sleeping through the night. Too bad for me. One nighttime feeding I can handle, but two or even three-NO! If David doesn't grow soon, the boys will be wearing the same size clothes. H is already wearing 6 months clothing. He barely gets a chance to wear everything he owns before he's out grown it.

I hate to admit it, but I think he is a thumb-sucker. I know it's not the worst thing in the world, but I think it's kinda gross. I just can't imagine him putting that thing in his mouth once he starts crawling..ewww! For now it's cute. If I catch him I pull his hand away and say no, no, no. Then he gives me a great big smile. He sure is sneaky with that finger. Sometimes I can't even tell it's in his mouth. Tricky little guy. 

He is now enjoying his activity bouncer, with a little support. He needs all the upright entertainment he can handle-That boy has quite a flat noggin. I hope it's just a baby thing and not helmet worthy. I'll be asking his pediatrician about that.

Oh, last weekend, the four of us participated in the Autumn Woods Classic in Maple Grove. Dave ran the 10k and was 3rd overall (1st in his age group). He did great! The boys and I walked the 5k. Henry was in the BabyBjorn and David in the jogging stroller. Quite the sight! We overheard one lady ask "Is she running with that baby?" Yes, I'm running with a 3 month old strapped to the front of me-eyeroll! 

Had I known about all of the hills and the 1 mile in the grass I may have passed. It was so hard carrying and pushing the extra weight up and down the steep hills. We finished under 50 minutes...Dave's 10k time was much faster! Other comments I received: "Very ambitious", "3 for the price of 1", and "Youngest finisher". Henry slept the entire race and we all enjoyed a wonderful fall day. Yay for family time.

A dip into a child free world

5 years already?! Yes, Dave and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. This is a milestone, so we decided to celebrate. Looking back, we haven't really ever celebrated an anniversary. Year One: Dave ran the TC Marathon, but we did make it out to lunch afterward with friends. Year Two: Sorry, can't remember. Year Three: Went to a friend's wedding (very pregnant with David). Year Four: Again didn't do anything that I can remember (barely pregnant with Henry).

Fridays are play date days so I couldn't miss that, especially a trip to the zoo! So the boys and I went to the zoo, while Dave went for a run (he kindly took the day off). We left the house all bundled up, but by the time we arrived at the zoo it was sunny and WARM. We were all stripping off coats and hats. We couldn't have asked for a nicer fall day. Even the animals were all outside enjoying the weather. Great way to start the day!

Since my brother and SIL were watching the boys overnight we made the switch before leaving the zoo. No, I didn't cry, but my eyes were a little moist. :-) It's easy when you know they are going to have so much fun. David can't get enough of cousin 'Joey' (Jozie).

So Dave and I began our date with lunch at Tugg's in downtown Minneapolis. This is also the beginning of a list of drinks for me. What the heck, I better enjoy some liquor while I can. We enjoyed listening to conversations of the retired folks and watching young men hit on the women. We then took a stroll across the Stone Arch Bridge-this is where Dave proposed. We passed a wedding party getting their photos taken...a good luck sign, maybe. We reminisced a bit and then it started to sprinkle so we headed back. Oh, I had a Bloody Mary plus chaser.

We made a pit stop at La Casita for a delicious margarita before heading to our old stomping grounds-Maple Grove. Ok, I was starting to feel a little buzzed after this one! Then on our way to check into the hotel so I could pump and dump ;)


Next off to a movie, but wait. It turns out we missed the afternoon showing and the next one wasn't until 10:20!! Are you kidding?! I'm usually sleeping by 9. We then went over the Dave and Buster's to kill some time. I'm glad we did. It was a lot of fun, especially beating Dave in basketball and trivia. (Fruity drink and Tom Collins)

Dinner was at Granite City and we watched the Twins lose-boo. I had some yummy beer cheese soup, pizza, a sample beer, and a glass of wine.  We unofficially met at GC in Fargo during college. We were sitting at the same table with friends, but didn't get introduced until the next night, but we definitely noticed each other at GC. 

Now, off to the movie with our pre-purchased candy from the grocery store. I amazingly stayed awake. Probably helped that the movie (Inception) was interesting and kept my attention. But by the end (nearly 1 am) I was looking forward to a nice night of sleep. However, due to the crazy movie, I had strange dreams all night. I never feel rested after a night of dreaming. Oh well, at least I got to sleep in until 8, after my internal alarm woke me up at 6:30.

Dave went for another run and then we enjoyed our breakfast and some chocolate dipped fruit from our bouquet that Dave surprised me with.

I would say that was a great anniversary. We actually felt like we were on a real date, pre-kids. It was nice to be able to talk to each other rather than at each other. We had a lot of FUN and no bickering was allowed! I got all my drinks in. I think we accomplished everything we had planned with a few additions too. It was relaxing to be without the boys, but we missed them a lot. Couldn't wait to go pick them up and get back to our real lives.

To the grindstone

Well, I am back at work after my wonderful 12 week maternity leave. Which was nearly not enough time to spend with my boys. I was definitely anxious about my return, but it went quite smoothly. I made sure to have everything organized and ready to go the night before. I set out clothes for the boys and myself, bottles ready for Henry, breast pump in the van, lunch made. I cried a few times throughout this process knowing it was going to be my first day away from Henry. I wasn't away from him for more than a few hours and most of that time was consumed by a dentist appointment. 

We needed to leave the house by 6 am so it was an unusually early morning for the three of us. I cried again while I was getting Henry out of his pjs. I said to him "You know, your brother slept through the night for my first day back at work-you didn't." He woke up at 3.  

Dave helped by getting the boys in the van once I had them dressed. It doesn't sound like much, but it helped immensely. I barely held in my tears when I said good bye to Dave. Ugh-how would I ever keep it together at work.

We arrived early to a nearly empty daycare. Due to our schedules the boys will be two of the first ones there and some of the last to leave..I'm getting my money's worth at least. I took a few pictures to commemorate Henry's first day and hung out for a little bit-not wanting to leave. I didn't cry again until I asked David to keep an eye on his little brother. (Dave just rolled his eyes at me when I told him that.Ok, so I'm overly emotional :) David's teacher gave me a hug and told me that we will all be fine. She's right, but that first day is always the worst.

Work wasn't too bad. It was mostly a day of chatting. After not seeing my coworkers for 3 months, there was a lot to catch up on. Throw breaks and pumping into the mix-I didn't get a lot accomplished. Oh well, it was my first day and my only day of work this week. I can handle that. My 'full' work week begins on Sunday. I'm glad it's only 3 days, but they are looong days. The worst of it is leaving all 3 of my boys on Sundays. I'm so jealous that they get to hang out without me. I know it's good bonding time for Dave, but still-I'd much rather be home and have another family day together.

Two days left....and then back to work. Boo.

Proud Mama

I just have to gush about my boys for a minute. They are AWESOME! 

D hasn't been feeling the best for the last week due to the fact he is getting 4 teeth! I think one is finally through, but that still leaves 3 more of those pointy cuspid teeth. Last Saturday, we planned to go to Dave's Duathlon race and D woke up with fever. With a little help from,  my friend, Tylenol he pulled it together and we enjoyed a great morning.

On Wednesday, we all (Daddy too) went to the MN Zoo. It was a beautiful day with perfect, kid friendly, weather. D was still out of sorts in the morning, but we reminded him we were going to see animals. He perked right up once we arrived. D loves animals. It was so fun to watch the excitement in his eyes.
He was quite the trooper and walked more than half of the way around the zoo. This is a big zoo people!

D is also 'chatting' up a storm. He will also repeat nearly everything you ask him to say. He understands any commands we may give him. Does he always follow through with them-of course not, he's an almost 2 year old! 

His fav cartoon is 'Super Why!' and the kids do a 'hands in the middle' cheer. So I showed D how to do it. I wasn't sure he caught on until a few days later. He walked up to me with his hand outstretched waiting for the cheer. He will come find me (even if it's the bathroom) to do the cheer.  So cute! And every time we watch the 'Wheel of Fortune' he shouts out "G!!" I just love this guy. It's just amazing how much their little brains absorb.

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Now, little or should I say big H. He has caught us by surprise. He could hold his head up since birth. D did this too-so no big deal. He has grown like a weed. We have started moving him up to the next size (3-6mo) of clothes. Not because of his width, but his length. He has a looong torso like Daddy. And what's with this rolling over business?!?! I was quite shocked the first time, but he hasn't stopped. Of course, he won't roll over when we are trying to show him off ;-) 

This growing and moving is all new for us. D was always behind the clothing suggestions and his milestones were 'right on time'. What does this little guy have in store for us? Can't wait to find out!!

What were we thinking

We recently received a wedding invitation in the mail for a friend of a friend. We decided, what the heck-lets go. It has been a long time since Dave and I have gone out together, much less gotten dressed up to go out. This is how it went:

We arrived early, so H nursed in the van and Dave and D went for a walk. So far, so good. While in the church, D was talking softly to himself and checking out the hymnals. Dave, however, decided it was too much and ran out with him. I think he may have jumped the gun. D was behaving quite well for a 20 month old and I don't think anyone was bothered by his sweet chattering. So that left H and I to enjoy a great sermon together. Just before the vows began, H decided it was his turn to talk. This wasn't happy talk-it was hungry talk. So I moved back a few pews and we danced to the music. This wasn't enough to distract him, so we left the ceremony also. While H and I were in the foyer, I could hear D giggling outside with another pair of wedding fugitives. :)

Once at the reception, we lasted about an hour. It was a cocktail/hors d'oeuvres reception which didn't provide many toddler friendly options. I prepared poorly. The snacks just weren't doing it for him. We left just as the more filling apps were being served, if you call 'sliders' more filling. The lines were quite long and just not worth it. Our evening ended with a swing through a fast-food joint. 

So in the end, we basically got dressed up to go to McDonald's-AWESOME!

Another Nephew!

My sister, Krystal, and her husband, Dustin, just found out that they will be having a baby boy at the beginning of January! I am so excited for them. Henry and Baby Berger will be nearly the same age. Can't wait for all the kids to be old enough to play together. With all these babies, get-togethers will be a lot more entertaining.
When she first called, she said, "My little girl is a boy." Well, I didn't hear anything after girl. I was already in tears, happy tears. Then my brain said wait a minute and had her repeat what she said. OMG it's a boy!? Awesome.
Our family is getting over run by the boys though. Leah (SIL's) is the only girl on the Meberg side of 6 grandkids. And now, out of 4 grandbabies on the Wetzel side, Jozie (brother's) is the only little girl. I guess that just makes them extra special. And look at all the boys they get to boss around :)

Embarrassing

Yesterday, I had my postpartum checkup and the boys joined me. Wow! Was this ever a bad decision. My first mistake, apparently, was to schedule it right after David's nap. He was fine when he woke up. He was fine on the drive. He had juice, snack, and a book to keep him entertained. I even brought the Nuk just in case. It wasn't until we had to pass the Ped's waiting room. He has a good memory! Of course he wanted to go play with the the hoards of toys and bikes, who wouldn't? I knew if I let him, I would never get him back. I stood my ground and kept him in the stroller. He disliked this decision, but still was behaving. It wasn't until the nurse called me back, then he let the entire clinic know he wasn't happy. I tried to push the snack, juice, book, and pacifier...nope. In the stroller, out of the stroller, on my lap, on the chair. None of this made him happy. He even pulled out the classic tantrum move of lying on the ground-gross! The nurse offered to get him a coloring book and crayons. I met her in the hallway. I couldn't take the screeching anymore. I shyly asked the nurse and my doctor to babysit Henry while David and I went to the pharmacy for a treat. As soon as he sees the candy he giggles-are you kidding me?! A 5 cent lollipop saved me. He was fairly cooperative for the rest of the visit, but boy was I glad to get out of there. From here on out I will be getting a sitter for any future appointments. Thank you to the nurse and Dr. Buss for being so patient. Needless to say, I had a headache!

To Giveth or Taketh Away

With one child, almost 20 months old, the pacifier can be seen as unacceptable and unnecessary. Yes, it can deter speech and be bad for their teeth, but at times it is the only answer for a cranky/tired/hungry kid. At this point, the Nuk probably serves me better than it does David. For the last few months, he has willingly offered it up when we ask him to take it out of his mouth. We have decided, however, that it should be reserved for bedtime only. And, between us, when a stay-at-home mom just can't 'take it anymore'.

Now with Henry, almost 2 months old. He rejects all attempts of any pacifier being placed in his mouth. Shouldn't I be happy that when I reach David's age with Henry, I will not have to face the battle of taking away this prized possession? I have actually purchased a few different types/brands of pacifiers hoping one will interest him. The sucking can be soothing for a baby and sometimes I rather it be a pacifier than myself. My fears: What am I going to do when he is having a 'baby tantrum'? The Nuk has always worked for David. What if he becomes a thumb-sucker?!?! Isn't this worse on the teeth? Seems to me that it would be easier to take away an inanimate object than a body part.

Don't think I have given up, this battle(s) has just begun