Raspberries in the Summers' Time: March 2017

So, here we are, with a 3 month old and a 33 month old. Insane!

The moments when one got to sit down in front of a computer, or pretty much anything that requires getting to sit down, are just a long-gone memory. Life with two kids is...busy...but that word just doesn't seem to totally explain the experience. Maybe that is the word, every moment/second is an experience. It seems like I go back and forth making sure both are fed, unsoiled, rested, and getting loving and some sort of individual attention. It the middle of all this, I somehow find time to make sure we have clean clothes, we can walk through the house without tripping over anything most of the time, and that the grown ups get to eat also. While I would like to say that it isn't a lot of work, it is, but the good kind of work. When I worked before, I always said that my job was just my job, and not my life. I always enjoyed what I did; this is different. But, I can now say that my current job is my life. I have, however, taken a part-time position at a local private practice where i will work 2 days a week. This will be a good way to keep me current in my field and get me out into the world a little, not to mention, the money will be nice, too.

The holidays have come and gone. Family came and went. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house since Charlie was just a wee 4 weeks old. I didn't have to do any major cooking, so thanks to all those that contributed and made the trek out here. It was a fun time. There were 10 kids in all, my two older brothers and their significant others, my parents, and Sam's parents. It was a good way to break in the new house. We did Christmas with my family at this time, too.

We also had a Christmas party a few weeks before Christmas. It was a good way to see some people and catch up with them and where they are in their busy lives. It is all babies and memories right now. My brother, Mark, and his wife, Sarah, moved back into town that weekend, so it was nice to have them be able to make it.

For our Christmas festivities, we did Christmas Eve at my parent's house with my parents, younger brother and his wife. We had Christmas morning at our house and invited our parents over for our annual homemade cinnamon rolls. Then in the afternoon, we went to Sam's parents to open presents and eat dinner. By the end of it all, I think Henry was done opening presents and just wanted to get to the playing, bu the was just too tired. It took him a few days to recover from all the excitement. Also, our tree took the biggest beating this year. Henry thought every ornament and Christmas decoration was a toy, so we had a ongoing ornament hospital going.

New years, Matt, Tanya, and their little guy, Walker came to visit. It was good to catch up with them and meet their little for the first time! We also had some of the Dragons over on New Years Eve: Mathew, Becca, their son Asher, and Chris and Oksana. It had been a while since everyone had gotten together.

Charlie:

It seems like in the first few years, and especially in the first few months, babies change so quickly, almost daily it seems.

Charlie has really grown! At his second month check up he was 13.4 lbs and 24 inches long! 90% for height and 60% for weight. Big boy. In his second month, he began to smile a lot, and around 2 months old he started giving us the occasional laugh. He began making some cooing noises. His alertness gradually increased as he began to follow movements, especially Mommy, around the room. He also became increasingly coordinated with getting his right hand to his mouth. He worked out some of his issues with gas and irregular bowel movements, they became not so frequent.

Now, at 3 months old, he is all smiles most of the time, and he likes to laugh. He really likes to lay around and kick, and he is now able to accurately get his left and right hand to his mouth as well as use them to grip toys (he hasn't quiet figured out how to let go, though) and he can sometimes roll up onto his side if he can remember to bring his knees into his chest before he attempts to roll. He has started doing a new thing where he brings his knees into his chest and then kicks his legs out really hard, moving himself around a little bit unintentionally. He is really loud now with his voice, experimenting with all the different sounds he can make, and he also really likes to fuss when he is hungry or bored. He doesn't cry, but just yells in an agitated way. We are still working on some gas issues with him. He still has bouts of painful gas that wake him up and make him feel uncomfortable until it passes. I am going to experiment with eliminating certain foods from my diet...I just hope it doesn't turn out to be dairy. That will be a complete lifestyle change for me! Overall, though, he is a really happy baby, and has a smile most of the time and is so gentle natured.

Henry:

Henry has been something else, lately. While he is 100% precious, I think he is having a delayed reaction to Charlie. Charlie is now commanding a little more of the scene as he has gotten older, doesn't sleep as much, and is getting more interactive. With that said, we also started potty training with Henry which could be contributing some of the emotional turmoil. He is actually doing really well with potty training. He is wearing underwear all the time except for bedtime. The first week of potty training was stressful, and we were about ready to turn back to diapers, but we put in place a rewards system and things have gone pretty smoothly so far. He is just having a couple of accidents a week and does not 100% have down the poopy, but we are working on it. I think this transition was a little stressful for him, too. It took a lot of encouraging, and after the initial excitement wore off, he put up a little bit of a resistance, asking to wear diapers again, but we are through the rough part. I think now he is a combination of over confident and lazy with it, waiting until the very last minute or putting it off to play, but he usually makes it.

Since we started potty training, his wonderful sleep pattern has went through some bumps. He has started waking again every once in a while. His bad nights are BAD. He will wake up multiple times and be inconsolable, wanting to be rocked and cuddled. All this does not make for a well-rested toddler, but we are carrying on, having the Sleepy Time Fairy visit for encouragement, and addressing the tiredness in the best way he will let us (earlier naps/bed), which he doesn't always cooperate with.

With all this said, Henry is a hoot. He keeps us laughing constantly. He is so insightful and intuitive for his age. He is enjoying preschool, and has begun to open up more with his teachers and play with more friends. I think that preschool has really built his confidence. He is also getting braver and more rough and tumble. I have been trying to get him out and about more to burn off some of this energy which may help with his bad moods and mad energy he has sometimes. I can comfortably take both boys to the library and the part by myself. One day I took them both to the library and grocery store and it was just so much loading and unloading and didn't leave a lot of room in the buggy for groceries.