So Long 2011!

January

My last month with only two boys in my house

Look at that belly!

 February

We met our beautiful little Callum George

March

April

Easter

May

Ev and Miley

 

June

July

4th of July parade

August

Copper Harbor, MI

The first time they really played together

September

October

November

December

The Christmas post

I actually do realize that Christmas was four days ago now, but hey.  I've been busy.  We did present opening with my family on Christmas eve since last year, Everett was breaking down by the afternoon and this year we have a 10 month old too.

Christmas morning, Callum woke up at his usual 7:10ish and I took him downstairs while Brian and Everett slept for another 20 minutes or so. 

What?  I'm not touching it!

The best I could get of the two of them.  Everett smiling and Callum trying to steal his sippy of apple cider.

Ooooh, lights and balls and presents!

Everett enjoying his new harmonica

Then we got dressed and headed over to Brian's parents' for yet another present opening session.  As anticipated, this took pretty much all day and Everett had his breakdown around dinnertime and didn't really manage to eat anything.  We came home spoiled and tired.

Little Christmas walker

Monday, the whole gang went up to Duluth and Brian and his dad went to Home Depot and Menards to get bathroom remodeling stuff.  That's right.  We were planning to replace the tub surround since ours was so old and cracked and icky, and suddenly, we are installing a new tub and surround (no more blue tub!), new cabinet, a wall, and painting cabinets.  Yikes!
Tuesday, I was still feeling kind of blah from a cold, so we called off daycare and took it easy.  Well, as easy as life will allow with two little boys and a husband who's working on the bathroom.
Wednesday, Brian and Everett went skiing with Auntie C and grandpa.  I stayed home with two babies and watched a Mystery Diagnosis marathon.
And that brings us up to the present.  Where I am dealing with an overtired, but won't nap, 3 year old, two babies in a homemade ball pit and a sleeping one upstairs.  Oh, and constant construction noises coming from the bathroom upstairs.

Nursing strike - 0, Me - 1

That's right.  I officially declare a win over the nursing strike.  Callum's gums must be feeling much better and I haven't taken his teething necklace off him in days.  I haven't been bit in days AND he's back to his regular, happy to see me nursing.  It was slightly heartbreaking to try and nurse your baby only to have him cry and push you away.  But I win.  Booyah.  This is one instance where I'm kind of grateful for my stubbornness because even I was about to give in and wean him to formula.  I was just sick of the extra stress that it was causing me.  But I'm too stubborn (and too cheap to buy formula), so I pumped three times a day for a few days there and let Callum have the bottles (which he gobbled up, little stinker) and just kept offering.  And it's as if nothing happened.  Oh, and?  Last night?  He woke up to nurse before we went to sleep and then only woke at 1 and 5!  Yay for my boy!  He didn't spend ANY of the night in our bed.  I think having the space heater in his room is helping a bit with that too.  Even with the heat on, our rooms get cold at night.  Now that Everett's big enough to snuggle himself up under the blankets, I decided our space heater would live a better life in Callum's room, so it moved.  Now we just have to get Callum sleeping all the way through the night and figure out how to rearrange rooms so the boys can share their sleeping space.

Into the Christmas Craziness

We are fully into Christmas Crazy mode.  I don't even remember what's happened since I last posted, but it's been busy.  We'll just go with this week.  Friday night we went to the wedding of one of my playgroup mom friend's.  There were a ton of kids and they took over the dance floor.  I forgot my camera.  And the card for the happy couple.  ugh.
Saturday was a lot of errands and chores.  We finished putting up Christmas lights and now have an interesting blend of warm and cool white lights outside.  I think it's ok... :)
Sunday, the whole family took a trip up to Ironwood for some xc skiing.  I made it 4.7K before pooping out and knitting in the chalet.  Brian took the boys on another 9K or so.  Then we set Everett up on his new skis, but it didn't last very long.

Monday I had the day off!  It was stupendous.  The boys and I went on a date to the black cat in the morning, then brought Brian some of our treat (cardamom cake), and headed to the library for storytime.  We even made a wal-mart trip after nap time.

Tuesday, my mom and all those strange kids came over and we baked sugar cookies and orange/cranberry bread.

Today!  I only have one daycare baby today now that the little girl I watch has dropped to two days/week for the holiday break from school.  So we loaded up in the car and headed to fun n run (with a quick pit stop at the McD's drive-thru for a LARGE coffee).  Then we made Brian a birthday cake!

Because: it's Brian's birthday (yay, we're the same age again!), the Solstice (yay for the sun returning!), AND Brian found out today that he passed the Professional Engineer exam (a raise!).  So it's been a dang good day.  Brian took a half day off work and headed up to Ironwood for a loooong ski to himself.  When he gets back, we're going to go out to ElDo and have some yums.

Oh, and Callum took 10 steps in a row today at playgroup.  AHHH!

All he wants for Christmas?

Callum now has two teeth!  We saw the beginning of tooth #1 (lower right central incisor) on November 30 and it was finally big enough that I attempted to get a picture of it today.

Sometime after taking this picture (in all its blurry glory), I realized that the second tooth had just poked through!  So lower left central incisor is here too.  And as if I didn't believe it by seeing, I've been bit three times today.  The second time, I even saw it coming.  When nursing, he has to have his tongue kind of sticking out.  Well, I saw him suck his tongue back into his mouth and went, uh oh.  Yep.  CHOW.  And this little guy doesn't follow the usual behavior.  Tonight he bit and I smacked his mouth and gave him a stern no.  Did he burst into tears and beg my forgiveness?  No.  He stared into my eyes as if he was contemplating this whole thing for a good five seconds....and then smiled.  doh.  What am I going to do with this guy?  He's already been on a nursing strike and now biting?  If I weren't so stubborn, I'd wean him.  But I am.  :)

Anyway!  Two teeth!  Yayyyyy Callum!

Oh that husband...

This is what happens when husband has a blemish that's too obvious for his choir concert.
Me: "You're wearing makeup."
Brian: "How'd you know?!"
Me: "You were in my makeup!"
Brian: "Well I just dug around in there and found one that said 'concealer' and it was kind of skin-colored so I put it on and then it was all spotty so I got the little sponge and rubbed it until it was better."
Me: "omg."

Two check-ups in one appointment - done

I took the boys in to the clinic this morning for Everett's 3 year check-up and Callum's 9 month check-up.  Since I have to take time off daycare to do so, I stuck them both in the same morning to open daycare back up by 11.  And now my little girl is napping so I get a little extra time before she gets here.
I'm very glad that Brian showed up at the appointment to help since Everett was being....well, he was being 3, and Callum was wiggling and crawling and standing and getting ever closer to needing a nap.  We got everything done that needing doing even though Everett didn't get any shots (which he had oddly enough requested....weirdo).  Callum was the lucky one today and got the second dose of flu shot.  He held his breath and screamed and then snuggled and forgot all about it.
So the fun part.  Stats.
Everett - he's now growing at such tremendous amounts anymore.  He's now at the 84th percentile for height at 39" and the 65th for weight at 34 pounds.  He used to be a little higher on the chart for height (around 90-95th) but has always been about 50-60th for weight.  He checked out just fine even though he was being a stinker and not listening to the doctor and nurse.
Callum - our little linebacker.  I can't believe this kid.  You know how I said he eats more than Everett?  Yeah. He is at the 97th percentile for height at 30" and weighs in at a whopping 22 pounds, which puts him in the 90th percentile.  Everett was never in the 90th for weight!!!  I don't know what I'm going to do when this boy hits the teenage years....buy stock in the grocery stores?  At least he's proportioned well though!  Tall and heavy. Now I'm really curious what my other little daycare boy weighs because I'm pretty sure he's heavier than Callum!
Anyway.  Everett is being a royal stinker, so I should probably do something about it.  sigh.

Walkin

Happy birthday to me!  Callum took his first steps today!  What a cutie to give me such a precious birthday present.  :)

Everett is 3

I know, after all the birthday party pictures, it seems like he's been three for a while now, but today is the official day.  Three years ago today, my tiny little baby was born in a brand new hospital in Indiana.  My little Hoosier, eh?  Poor kid.  ;)

Squish!

Then a year flew by, and my baby was one year old.

And another year...2 years old with a baby brother on the way.

And then the next year absolutely ZOOMED by!  And all of a sudden, we're done with the terrible two's and into the tantrum three's.

HOLY CRAMOLY.  Did you see that?  Did you just witness my baby turn into a toddler and then WHAM.  He's a little boy?!?!  Look at that thin face.
I was thinking I'd try to do an update like I just did for Callum's 9 month birthday, but then I realized I don't think I can sum up Ev in a bulleted list.  I'll try.
Everett:

• Loves riding his scoot bike everywhere, but especially "off-road."  He still hasn't figured out how to pedal his big bike, but we'll get there...he's getting a tricycle for christmas so he can practice (and Callum will love it too, I'm sure).
• Speaks very well and says some hilarious things.  If he hears a new word, he asks "what ____ mean??"
• Has become a picky eater.  He used to eat everything but he suddenly is picky and it depends on the day whether he'll like something.  He grazes and eats tiny amounts.  I'm not sure how he has the energy he does.
• Can operate any smart phone he gets his sticky little fingers on.
• Loves to dance and sing.  His most recent favorite is Jingle Bells because "Grandma have those!"
• Helps with babies all the time.  He plays with them, tells me if they drop something or steal a nuk, and notifies me when diaper changing time is too stinky.
• Adores Christmas lights/decorations and judges whether a house "did a good job."
• Likes Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon shows and begs to watch them every day.
• Loves books and always tries to weasel an extra two or three out of us every night (we do 3/night).
• Gets himself dressed every morning, and sometimes even picks out a cute outfit.
• Refuses to wear socks inside but then gets cold and requires "snuggles."
• 's favorite drinks are lemonade and chocolate milk and he gets them whenever we eat at a restaurant.
• Usually will not nap during the day now, but when he does, it's a good 2-3 hours long.
• Thinks his little brother is just fantastic and loves to wrestle, hug, kiss, and play with him.