Happy Birthday, MomMom!

We marked MomMom's birthday by celebrating at Ameristar! She loves to play the slots occasionally, so this seemed like the best place for her to celebrate! (On the way to the casino, we passed the hospital where Chase was born. Cole recognized the building and said, "Mom, let's take Chase back!" Gotta give him credit for never giving up!) Walking inside, Cole and Chase were both mesmerized by the sights and sounds: all the strange faces, the fountains, the train car parked in the lobby, and all noise of all the slot machines. We ate dinner at the huge buffet, which Cole was most impressed with because, after all, Caillou had just recently eaten at a buffet (of course). However, he informed us that Caillou had been clumsy and spilled his food when walking back to his table, but he wasn't going to do that. MomMom helped Cole fix his plate, and they came back with a relatively healthy kid-friendly array of mac-n-cheese, baked beans, and watermelon. Cole managed to take his "required" one bite of everything on his plate, before choosing to focus solely on the watermelon. While doing so, our waiter brought out a small cheesecake with mountains of whipped cream and sprinkles on top! Guess who ate that? And, he then topped that off with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, a couple of bites of Mommy's chocolate pie and some chocolate race car cookies. Uh, can we say SUGAR HIGH?!?!?

Anyway, the rest of us played "pass the baby" with Chase, alternating between holding him and eating crab legs! All in all, it was a fun time. Happy Birthday, MomMom!

Preschool: Year 2

We were invited to Cole's Open House tonight to meet his new teacher and the other children who are going to be in his class. He is now in the 3's & 4's Preschool class this year with Ms. Stacey as his teacher. Thankfully he LOVES his teacher so I don't think he'll have any problem with going on the first day! His best friend, David, is also in his class and the boys were so excited to see each other after such a long summer apart. As the parents were meeting Ms. Stacey and chatting, the children were playing in their new classroom. The girls seemed to be centered in the play kitchen area, or exploring the different activity centers, while the boys were all playing Legos and/or cars. Our son? He was in the kitchen "baking" blueberry muffins with the girls. Daddy just shook his head... :)

The TP obsession

Why is toilet paper so fascinating to a three-year-old?

A few days ago, I went into Cole's bathroom, curious as to why he hadn't flushed after going potty. I figured I better either: (a) flush for him or (b) find out the reason behind the lack of a flush. What I discovered was about a half of a roll of toilet paper floating in a yellow sea. (At least he had the good sense not to flush that mess!) I scolded him for doing such a thing and then proceeded to clean everything up. I thought that would be enough to deter him from doing it again. Well....wrong. I'll be darned if he didn't do the same thing in my bathroom right after lunch! That's twice in one day! Ugh.

Fast forward to today, Sunday. 2 days have gone by with no more TP incidencts and I thought we were going to be OK. This morning, I put Chase down for his morning nap, had Cole situated on the couch eating YoGos and watching Little Bear, and I ran to take a quick shower. As I turn off the water, I hear, "I'm taking this out, Mom." Ok, sure, whatever. But, WAIT...taking what out? I went into his bathroom to find, once again, half a roll of TP in his toilet! Only this time, he tried to hide the evidence by pulling out little bits and throwing it in the trash. Not only did I have a trash can of urine-soaked toilet paper, but the floor was wet too!!! This time, he got a spanking and was put into time-out.

After I got myself dressed and had a minute or two to reflect on things, I realized that probably the best punishment would be to make him clean up the mess. (He HATES to touch anything dirty or have his hands messy. This is the kid that eats donuts with a fork so as not to get icing on his fingers!) I got him out of time-out and told him he would have to clean up the toilet and bathroom. He gave me that look of, "You're kidding me, right?" but proceeded to the bathroom anyway. He starts pulling out tiny pieces of TP again. Not so bad. Then, I tell him to take out bigger pieces (just knowing that would bring on the tears). He does, and says, "Yippee, this is fun! I love playing in potty!!!" *sigh* My brilliant plan completely backfired!

So...the toilet paper has been removed from the guest bathroom (a.k.a. Cole's bathroom). And, if you are coming over for a visit and need to use the bathroom, you'll probably have to ask for toilet paper. Sorry for the inconvience.

Our other baby

Becuase we couldn't possibly expect her to lay on the hard, uncomfortable carpet. Heaven forbid...

Frog Princess

So, if you know Cole, you know he doesn't freely give out hugs and kisses. Grandparents (and Mommy) are always asking, but he shys away. If you are lucky, he'll lean in and turn his cheek for you to kiss him, but that's only if he's in the right mood. Very rarely, and I mean rarely will his lips actually touch anyone's cheek!

So, imagine my surprise when he comes up to me today and starts kissing me. Without me asking! I certainly wasn't going to question his sudden display of affection for fear he'd realize what he was doing and run away! After about six kisses:

Mom: Thank you, Cole!
Cole: I had to kiss you to turn you from a frog back into Mommy.
Mom: Ribbit, ribbit!

Whatever it takes, right?

Twins???

When I went back to work this week, I e-mailed myself some pictures of Chase to keep on my work computer. I saved them to a folder where I keep all the kids' pics, and as I was scrolling through some old pics of Cole, I thought I was looking at pics of Chase! I couldn't believe my eyes! I guess I had forgotten what Cole looked like at this same age because, until I saw the pictures, I didn't think they looked anything alike!



Cole at 4 months:













Chase at 3 months:

The things we let him do....

Cole has been dragging a box around the house. For days. Nevermind that we have thousands of dollars worth of toys for him to play with. At the moment, he prefers a box. So, last weekend, Cole was sitting in the box, pretending he was driving a car and using a frisbee for his steering wheel. Never one to miss an opportunity to create a new hot rod, Daddy got out the Sharpie and transformed this simple box into a sophisticated driving machine, which I believe is reminiscent of a '32 Ford. It didn't take long for Cole to then figure out that the "car" would work even better for sliding down the stairs. (Thankfully he only wanted to go down the short set of stairs!) Can you believe we actually encouraged him to do it?

Back to work

So...the return to work has been fairly uneventful, albeit stressful. Getting into a new routine with the boys, along with returning to a job that I'm not crazy about to begin with, has been a little hectic. Tack on the 1.5 hour commute each way. Oh, and a baby who still doesn't sleep through the night... Yeah, this is one tired momma! I am very thankful that its just 3 days a week.

The first day, Chase cried when I dropped the boys off at Nonnie's house. The minute I sat his carseat on the kitchen counter, the lip started to quiver. But, Nonnie said he only cried for a few minutes and was fine the rest of the day. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess!

I thought Cole might be sad to see me go. But, I was wrong about that! Nonnie had his powdered sugar donuts ready and waiting for him when we hit the door that morning. He made a flying leap into the chair and began scarfing them down! He managed a quick wave and one "Bye, MOM!!!" and that was that! Don't get me wrong...I'm glad he was happy and not hanging on my pant leg crying. But, I thought he might be just a little sad to see me leave! :)

The end of maternity leave....

I remember in May, when I started materntity leave, I thought how nice it would be to have 3 months off work. It seemed as though I would be off work for eons! I felt like a kid again back in grade school, excited about my summer break...only this would be even better! Not only would I have nearly the whole summer off, but I'd get to spend it with my babies!! So...how can it be that it is August 19 already and I go back to work tomorrow??? I don't remember summer vacations being so short when I was a kid. Seemed like the summer never ended back then. I guess as you get older, time really does fly. *sigh*

Maternity leave has been eventful: the birth of Chase, me walking around like a zombie due to lack of sleep, Cole's temper tantrums that left gashes in the walls in his bedroom, Cole "running away" for about a week to different family members' homes because he didn't want to be at our house with Chase here, Poncho running away every time we let her outside (also due to her not wanting to be in our house with a fit-throwing 3-year old and a newborn!), and Cole and Mom's special days at the waterpark (sans Chase).

We started off on a rough note with Cole after Chase was born. His awful behavior lasted through June and into July. But, mid-July was a turning point for Cole. I'm not sure if it was me making it a point to spend one special day each week with him (which usually involved swimming), or if it was when I finally reached my breaking point and put everything he owned in time-out, forcing him to earn back one toy a day for good behavior. Maybe it was a combination of both. Whatever it was, Cole eventually turned back into my sweet, loving big boy that we had missed so much!

Chase has grown like a weed and changed so much! He started out as my "tiny" 8 pound newborn and is now nearly 15 pounds!! He is sleeping through the night on a faily consistent basis now...generally from 9:00pm to 5:00am. He is holding his head up really well, cooing and talking to us, and is definately a Momma's Boy.

It will be with a heavy heart that I return to work tomrrow. The last month or so of materntity leave has been fantastic. I've got 2 sweet babies who I adore and love spending all of my time with. I have felt like I've been able to be the full-time mom to them that I've always wanted, without the pressures and stresses of work weighing on my mind. This summer has been all about my boys and I've treasured every moment of it (well...maybe all except for the lack of sleep and Cole's tantrums! But, even those 2 things helped me be a stronger person and a better mom as I've learned to deal with about anything those two can throw at me.) I'm going to miss both of my babies tomorrow! I know they will be in great hands since they are staying with their Nonnie. I won't worry whether they are getting enough attention and love, whether they are crying all day, or any of the stuff most moms have to worry about when they drop their kids off at the babysitter's or daycare. I know they will be happy and well-cared for...so at least I have that advantage.

Even still, I'll miss my babies. I'll miss watching Calliou, Little Einsteins, and Max & Ruby. I'll miss changing diapers and wiping up spills. I'll miss pushing Cole on the swing in the morning and reading him stories. And, most of all...I'll miss all those hugs and kisses throughout the day.

I love you, Cole and Chase!

Quote of the Day

As we're driving over a bridge under construction, Cole spies a crane with a large hook on the end...

Cole: Mommy, LOOK...there's a hooker!!

The Perch

Since Cole was 3-months old, he has been staying at his great-grandmother's (aka "Nonnie") house while Mommy and Daddy go off to work. It is his home-away-from-home. I love the fact that he is happy there and is with family rather than in a day care center or with a stranger. Its easy to say goodbye each morning knowing that he is happy and well taken care of. No one knows better than me....as Nonnie took care of me as a child. (Except, back then she was known as "Grandmother" and we didn't dare call her any other name! In fact, all of the grandkids HAD to call her Grandmother...it was the cardinal rule. However, somehow Cole came along and invented the name "Nonnie" for her...and it stuck. Don't ask me how he got away with it. I'll never know.) Anyway, as a child, I actually spent more time at Grandmother's house than my own. I loved being there and have so many fond memories of spending time there. So, I am very thankful that she is now able to take care of my own children as there is no where else I'd rather have them stay.

From the time Cole could sit up, Nonnie started putting him on the arm of her rocking chair to sit, sing, read books, watch TV, etc. Over time, it affectionately became known as his "perch." Even now at 3 years old, he still clamors up in the rocking chair to sit on his perch with Nonnie every day. Thankfully that old rocker has two arms, as I know Chase will soon be sitting on the other one.

Updates on Chase

First off, I'm happy to announce that Chase slept through the night last night!!!!!! He slept from 9:30pm to 5:30am! Way to go, little guy! Keep it up!

Second, we went to visit Dr. Trites again today. His torticollis does not seem to be improving at all. He fights us so hard when doing his neck exercises that most days, we can't get them done at all for fear we are going to snap his neck or something terrible! And, we've tried everything to get him to sleep in a different position so that he isn't laying on the flat side of his head (again, due to the torticollis). However, all the rolled up blankets in the world and the sleep positioner don't seem to do any good as he just wriggles and squirms his way out of them and into his comfy spot. So, Dr. Trites looked at his neck/head again today and agreed that he isn't improving and his neck muscle is still very tight. She referred us to a physical therapist at Children's Mercy Hospital. More updates to come on this issue.... Oh, and did I mention that he now weighs 14lbs??????

My Big Boy

Lately, Cole has turned into such a big kid! No, its not because we have a 2-month-old in the house and, all of the sudden, my "baby" looks like a giant compared to Chase. Rather, he seems to have found his courage over the last 2 weeks. He conquered his fear of the '34 Ford and went for a ride with his Daddy. Last week at the waterpark, instead of his usual just walking around in the 6" of water in the baby pool, he actually floated down the Lazy River ride on my lap in an innertube (something he was deathly afraid of before) and let me hold him in the deep water of the big pool! And, just today we visited the waterpark again...where he shocked me by asking to stand on the side of the pool and jump in for Mommy to catch him! (I'll bet he jumped in 50 times!) Not only that, he learned to float on his own wearing a life jacket and didn't want me to hold onto him! It was a bittersweet moment when Cole said, "No, Mommy! Let me go!" and I just had to stand back and watch him floating there without me holding him. I was so proud of that little guy! But, at the same time, I came to the realization that my "baby" is growing up...FAST! *sigh*

More quotes from Cole

In the bathtub:
Cole: Mommy, my pee bug is LOOOONG!
Mom: Yes, Cole.
Cole: Its as long as all the way to Hawaii!!!

While playing:
Cole: Mommy, have you seen my kickety kickball? I want it.
Mom: No, I haven't. And, I think your kickball is an outside toy anyway.
Cole: Nope, I want to SMASH it into a flippety flipball.
Mom: What?

While reading a Highlights magazine:
Mom: Can you find the hidden footprints?
Cole: (after some serious thought) Are they prints or prince, like princess?
Mom: They are prints: P-R-I-N-T-S. Not, prince P-R-I-N-C-E like prince and princess.
Cole: Oooooh, ok. How do you spell prints/prince?

Wow...trying to explain homynyms to a 3-year old is a challenge!

Cole's Trophry ("Trow-free")

Today marked a milestone for Cole. He actually rode in Daddy's 1934 Ford hot rod for the first time! Let me preface this post by saying that we have old cars. Several of them. Cole has always liked to hop inside Mommy's '67 Mustang and Daddy's '55 Chevy station wagon. In fact, the wagon is Cole's favorite car and the one he begs us to take him around town in. Both cars have a little rumble to the exhast, but aren't loud. The'34 Ford and the '39 Ford have always been too loud and scary for Cole. He won't even stay outside if Daddy mentions starting either one. So, for Cole to actually stay in the driveway while the '34 is running is huge...let alone to actually RIDE in it!

While Daddy was working in the garage, Cole was playing in the '55 Chevy. He told his dad that he liked the steering wheel in the car best. Daddy mentioned that the black hot rod also had a steering wheel. REALLY??? That sparked his interest. Somehow, Daddy talked him into sitting in the '34 to look at the steering wheel. And, next thing....the boys were then driving the car around the block with Cole repeatedly saying, "Its not scary!!!" He came home so excited and proud of himself that Daddy gave him a trophy (or as Cole says, "trow-free") for his bravery!

Mr. Fix-it

As I was talking on the phone today, I noticed Cole happily playing with his tools. (He LOVES to use his tools to build and "fix" things around the house.) I overheard him say, "Now where is he??" as he went running past me. I knew immediately Cole was looking for Chase. Curious as to why this sudden interest in his brother, I decided I better follow. Chase was sleeping peacefully in his swing oblivious to Cole standing over him with his power saw and grinder 2 inches above Chase's head!!! I'm not sure what Cole's plans were, but it was a good thing Mommy was there before Cole "fixed" him!

On a totally seperate issue, Chase slept 7 hours last night!!! 10:00pm to 5:00am! When I bragged about him sleeping so well in a previous post, I jinxed myself because, as it turns out, him sleeping through the night WAS a fluke. It hasn't happened since! So, last night's 7 hour stretch really shocked me! Keep your fingers crossed that he starts making a habit of it!

Bowling fun!

Tuesday's episode of Caillou featured Calliou learning to bowl. Since Cole idolizes Calliou, that's all we have heard about in our house for days now! "I want to go bowling, Mommy!!" Just to see if he really even knew what bowling was, I asked him how to bowl. I then got a full 5-minute explaination of the game of bowling, including how the ball return works! So, today, I decided to take him to the bowling alley to play his first game. He had a blast! We even found a pink ball (his favorite color)! I'm sure the managers were happy when we left since they had to rescue his ball, which had stopped mid-lane, 3 different times!! The only near-disaster was when he smashed his finger in the 8th frame. However, he recovered nicely and went on to finish the game with a score of 70! Not bad for his first time! (Oh...and Chase slept through the last 3 frames!)

Water Park Adventure

Cole and Mommy had a fun day at the waterpark today! He splashed around in the kiddie pool, made about 6 trips around the park on the "Lazy River" ride, and even ventured into the big pool and "swam" with a life jacket on and with Mommy's help. When it started raining, we had to leave (much to Cole's dismay). On the way home, he was snacking on Pinwheels and apple juice and just chatting away. All of the sudden, I noticed that he hadn't said anything in a minute or two. I looked in the backseat to find him zonked out! Guess he wore himself out!