Christmas Aftermath

Wow. Another year gone by. We had a very wonderful Christmas. Since Ben and I have been together, it has been our tradition to do Christmas Eve with my parents and Christmas Day with his parents. Since we've had kids, this gets a bit crazy. I was so proud of Sam. He is almost three, and he behaved so well with the gift opening. He wasn't going crazy having to have only gifts for himself. He had so much joy passing gifts out to others and being excited over what they received. When he did happen to get a gift for himself, he was so excited and appreciative for his gifts. I usually don't enjoy Christmas very much because it has become such a materialistic, commercialized holiday. I want my boys to grow up knowing the true meaning about this day and not concerned over what they get or how much. Like I said, Sam was so good it did my heart good. As is typical, David was enthralled with the papers and the bows and the boxes of his new toys. :-) With all the cute new outfits they got, my poor camera is going to be overloaded! Sam's birthday is a week away, and we still have to decide what to do for him. Fun, fun. :-) I look forward to these times, especially since he is so much more aware of what is going on. Well, Sam is down with my parents for a couple of days. Having only one child makes chores a whole lot easier to accomplish. ;-) I am going to go take advantage of that. Have a happy, healthy New Year.

So Big!

Sam's solemn expression is somewhat marred by the chocolate on his face. So grown up!

Gimme!

David is busy trying to talk me out of something. He is such a darling.

Mama's Zoo

Here is my little zoo. Both boys were ready to go ask for treats.

Random Thoughts

My Christmas pile has grown bigger. Mostly for Ben and the boys. Like I have said, I very much enjoy buying for them. This is probably why the good Lord has seen fit to keep me on a limited income. ;-)

My poor Samster is sick AGAIN. I have attacked this cold a little more aggressively than I normally do, but he is just so miserable I want it gone. To help him feel better, Grandma M bought him a 3-pack set of find-this-character-in-the-crazy-picture books. He loves them. He is so good at finding the pictures!! Unfortunately, he has become so antisocial! He was never overly friendly with those he didn't know, but it is worse now. He doesn't want people looking at him, much less trying to talk to him. And heaven help those who try talking to his brother!! It really is kinda cute how he tries to protect his brother, but it is embarrassing how rude he can get. I am hoping an end to this. He is so crazy over Fiona. She is very good with him, as they are both crazy little puppies. :-) He was rather funny today. He, Ben and I made a quick trek to Walmart for some medicine. We left David as he had just fallen asleep on Grandpa. About halfway to the store, Sam pipes up with "Hey! Where's David?!" We left him with Grandma and Grandpa. "NO!! GO get David!" That was rather sweet.

David is breaking through yet another tooth! This poor baby has been so miserable. And as the saying goes, "If David isn't happy, aint nobody gonna be happy either." His left front top tooth and the tooth on the right next to were his top canine will be are through. I think tomorrow or the day after the right front top one will be through as well. He has also been rubbing the back of his gums quite a bit lately. Poor little baby. David is not quite sure what to think about Fiona. He's amused by her, but doesn't want to get too close to her.

I can't believe another year has gone by. Two weeks after Christmas and Sam turns THREE!! Where did the time go?

Awaiting Christmas

I can't believe we are already in December. Another year that seems to have just blown by. I am done with my Christmas shopping. I think. ;-) I have so much fun picking stuff out for my guys and my sister. I already got my present from Ben and the boys. She is a darling .75Rottie/.25German Shephard cross, she looks just like a Rottie(my favorite breed) but with a tail. Her name is Fiona, and Sam claims she is his doggy. She is so smart!!

I have so many things to share about the boys, and every time I sit down to write them, I forget.

Sam has been getting to spend some time with my parents and sister. He loves being down ther with them, and they enjoy having him. Because of this, I have been able to get my shopping done early. I love to see his imagination and creativity growing daily.

David has cut two new top teeth. He has been absolutely miserable and cranky. He wants to teeth on everything in sight. *sigh* He tends to be such a calm baby most of the time.

I think from now on I need to write stuff down so that I don't forget. When I find my camera I will post some new pictures. Hopefully.

Catch up

It is such a chilly day today. I love it!! I love winter. It is the only time when you can accomodate the temperature to your liking. I cannot believe that it is already time for Thanksgiving, and Christmas is only around the corner. I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. My one complaint is that I wish I had more money to buy the boys stuff. I have so much fun picking stuff out for them.

Sam stayed Saturday night with my parents. We had gone down in the morning after dropping Daddy off at work, and he didn't want to come back with me. I missed him so much on the drive back. Even though he normally falls asleep before we've even reached the freeway, I know that he is sitting back there. I think this is the first time Sam has stayed over since we've had David. David spent the rest of the evening looking for his brother. When Sam got dropped off yesterday, he was quite heartbroken. He wanted to go back with Donna. He didn't want to be here. My heart broke for the poor little guy. I can always trust that he will be okay when I leave him at my parents'. They love on him, there are no psychotic dogs trying to bite him. I just know he will be taken care of and don't need to be constantly worried about him. I don't think I can explain how special my Sam's relationship with my parents and sister is. I love to see that and wish I had had grandparents like them growing up.

David is ever trying to increase his mobility. I came in to the room last night only to find him standin on Sam's bed by holding on to my bed. (Sam's bed is butted up against ours.) I don't know how he managed to do that, but he was quite proud of himself. He is quite a character. He has been having a hard time teething. His upper gum is so inflamed, and it appears that one tooth has slightly broken through. Poor, poor David. It makes my Mom laugh when I ask him if he wants to nurse. He knows exactly what I am saying. Last night he was doing this new thing that just had me laughing. He was sitting on my lap facing forward. He slightly twisted his body around and threw his head back and nuzzled my breast. Then he gave me this look that seemed to say, "Well, what are you waiting for? I couldn't make my needs any clearer." My boys are so precious. I can't imagine my life without them.

I had better take advantage that the boys don't need me right now and fold some laundry. :-( Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

Vegas

We just got back from a short trip to Vegas. It was Ben's parents' gift to him. We had fun, but the boys did not enjoy that at all. Who can blame them? On the way back today, we tried to stop at the ghost town Calico, but since it closed down in an hour or so, we have decided to make that trip another time soon. There are so many neat things to see and explore in CA. All we need is the time and the money. :-) I'm tired and don't remember all that I wanted to write. Think maybe it's time for bed.

God's Gatorade

So much has been going on in life, sometimes I just want to curl up and go to sleep for a long while. My Aunt finally passed away last Tuesday. This was a blessing for her since she had been suffering from gastric cancer for the past year and a half(although the doctors were only able to diagnose her this past January). Since she died on Ben's birthday, we didn't do much for him. We stayed at my parents for the past week. The boys both had a doctor's appointment this Tuesday. They are seeing my old pediatrician, which pleases me. He thought both boys were doing really well and didn't need to do any bloodwork, which I was dreading immensley. The Dr. didn't give me any grief about David not being on foods yet. My cousin asked me once the benefits to breastfeeding and breastmilk. Ben summed it up best when he explained it was God's Gatorade for babies. I am convinced that David is calling me "mama." Well, I don't have much time for an update since both boys have a cold, again.

Mama or mmmm?

We have just got back from a nice extended stay at my parents. I think Sam gained a few pounds, and I somehow lost a few. Don' t know how this happened as I thoroughly enjoyed my mom's cooking. Oh, well. Won't complain.

Sam had so much fun. I love visiting with my family. The boys get a lot of attention and are so happy. They are allowed to be little boys and explore and have fun. My cousins come around and love on the boys which they just love (both the cousins and the boys). Sam follows poor Donna (my sister and his godmother) around all the time and demands her attention. It surprises people how good Donna is with the boys, but she just loves them to pieces.

David is a little flirt! He just basks in all the attention and plays it up for all the ladies. He has a new tooth that is broken through, and my poor little guy is just suffering. Now, I knew all children are different, but it still amazes me. I know we were extremely blessed with our first baby because we never went through all the normal complaints like spitting up, painful teething, and everything else. Poor David is constantly spitting up and keeps me up most nights now that those teeth are trying to come through. Despite all this, I know we still have a very good baby. I am glad that I nurse (despite David trying to convince me otherwise with that new tooth this past week) because I shudder to think what he would be like if he were on formula. I believe David has started saying "mama" but everyone else insists it's "mmmmm." Hmm. I think he's calling me.

We celebrated my Dad's birthday this week. Had it been anywhere else, Sam's behavior would have been embarrassing. Of course, anywhere else he's not allowed to behave that way. He helped Papa (which is what he calls my dad) blow out the candle (we teased my Dad that we couldn't put that many number of candles on his cake) and cut the cake. However, he got a little impatient for his slice, so he just took a bite out one of the pieces. Like I said, we were able to laugh at it. He is NOT allowed to behave like this at parties we attend.

We had a fun time. I have some wonderful pictures to share as soon as I can.

Winter!

It's fall and that means winter is coming! The temperature has dropped and there are wonderful smells in the air. Someone even had their fireplace going yesterday. I love to see the change in seasons.

We got back early from our trip and so were able to enjoy a couple of free days with Daddy. Sam did well despite the lack of sleep, but David is a bad traveler. We had to stop frequently for him.

David and I have had some issues with his new tooth. He keeps trying to use it while he's nursing. hmmm Despite some lengthy discussions, I just can't fully convince him that this is neither the time nor the place to use it. :-) After I woke up screaming a couple of nights ago, my husband says "Aren't you glad he doesn't have the corresponding top tooth." Thanks. So, I now check his gums every night before going to sleep so that I don't wake up to any surprises. LOL David is at such a pleasing size. He just has the perfect feel in my arms right now, and it's just great when he falls asleep and cuddles in.

Sam is growing and getting bigger by the second it seems. He is so precious. We got him an Apu stuffed animal, and it goes with him everywhere. He had a hat with him last night as I was putting him to sleep. I took the hat to get it out of the way, when I realized there was something in it. It was Apu! This hat has like an extra flap(?) that goes around to protect (partially)the neck and ears. Well, he laid the monkey in it and used the flaps like a blanket. I thought that was just so cute! David has been coveting this monkey which just sends Sam into a panic. He's constantly finding another stuffed animal to distract David with. LOL However, David is very tenacious. :-)

Well, Nezzer is done and lunch is gone so I need to put Sam down for a nap. Hopefully, David will remain asleep for a while so that I can get stuff accomplished. Wishful thinking, I know. :-)

Terrible Two's (?)

What a day today! Sam was just nutso. Despite having had a nap today(or maybe because of it), he was just wild. They don't call them the terrible two's for nothing I guess. He is a good kid and pretty well-behaved most of the time, and I keep that it mind (or certainly try). Still, days like today just wear me out.

David is teething like crazy. That tooth is definitely out. I have felt it a lot during nursing! The one next to it is coming through as well. This is just so weird. The kid is not even five months old yet. Sam didn't get his first tooth until he was seven months old. David is definitely trying to crawl! He pushes up on his arms and tippy-toes. Then he lunges forward and manages to scoot a little ways. He looks like an adorable little baby seal. :-) I got up to use the bathroom early this morning while Ben was getting ready for work, and he somehow managed to roll off the bed. I didn't hear him since Ben had the shower running, but Grandma got him and consoled him.

Well, we are off to see Ben's brother in AZ tomorrow. I made the mistake of telling Sam of our plans, so all we have been hearing all day is that he wants to go see Uncle Josh NOW! We are looking forward to meeting his future wife (Josh's not Sam's) this week. Hope the boys can stay pretty well-behaved for this. If she survives them she's a keeper, right? ;-) I hope to maybe hit the Phoenix zoo on the days when Josh has to work. Funny, we never made it when we were living in AZ. Funny odd, not funny hah-hah. We'll see what the week brings.

No Title

I am glad to be able to raise the boys the way we want. We homebirth, nurse, and eventually will homeschool(although I believe that every day is or can be and educational one with a curious two year old). When David cries or is upset, Sam instantly pipes up with, "Nurse David, Mama. He is crying." I love that he associates his brother's comfort with my nursing him. I wouldn't trade my boys for anything.

Teeth!

At dinnertime, I was holding David and I noticed that one of the bottom teeth is almost all the way through! It is really red, and you can see the little white ridges of the tooth. *sigh* He is also trying to crawl. He pushes up on his arms and legs and holds his little body up like that for a while. He is growing up so fast! He is also going around in circles while he lies on his tummy. I feel so bad for the poor little guy. He's been so quiet and subdued today.

Sam on the other hand has been climbing the walls. This afternoon his cousin Jessie came over and they have been playing outside. Hopefully he burned off enough energy to go to bed peacefully. I need to drink a couple of cups of tension tamer tonight. :-) I love my boys, but boy can they have their days!

The boys were enjoying watching Sumo of the Opera together. 

My Favorite Picture

Sam finally got to hold David a few hours after the birth. He was a great help to our midwives and was so excited to see his baby brother born! Some of our family was a little concerned that it would be bad to have Sam attend the birth, but I think it was the best for all of us. He just couldn't believe it was a baby that had popped into the water! His expression was priceless. I think he still believes to this day that babies come from inflatable pools. LOL

Here's Sam with his two favorite things. 

Good Times

We were able to enjoy two wonderful days with Daddy. It has been a while since both of his days off have been completely available. The boys have just been ecstatic. David does that whole body tense and quivering with excitement every time he sees him, and Sam has been tackling and attacking his Daddy at every available opportunity. :-) All in all, a very good time.

A couple of nights ago, Sam and I were able to eat dinner just by ourselves. It was so much fun! We talked and we laughed. At one point, he gets really still and whispers to me, "Can you hear that?" Well, no I couldn't since my head was so congested, but it was so cute to have him say that.

I gave the boys a bath together last night. I have done this a couple of times before, and they just love it. Sam will pour water on David, and David thinks this is just hilarious. We let David float on his back for a while (with me holding him under his arms, of course) and play with Sam. It warms my heart to see them having so much fun together.

David is so much more mobile now. He tries to scootch to get things, but he only manages to go backwards right now. He is rolling around a lot, to the point that he rolled off the bed yesterday. Well, he's fallen off before, only every other time has been onto Sam's bed. Yesterday it was onto the floor. He was not very happy about that.

We have a day of just being lazy ahead of us. I'm gonna go enjoy it. ;-)

We're Back...Again

My computer is up and running, and I am just so very excited! It has been such a crazy couple of weeks. The boys and I have been sick as a dog (dogs?) since last week. I tried to convince myself on the first day that it was only an allergy. haha Anyway, David didn't get it as bad and is doing much better. Sam is still fighting it though.

Last week Ben and I dragged everything out of the shed and sorted through for things we wanted/needed. We finally have the baby swing in, and David LOVES it! I was a little hesitant to put it to use again since Sam hadn't liked it so much, but both boys are having a blast with it now. :-) It feels so very good to be able to have some our things back.

Sam needs a Scooby-dooby bubble bath, but we will be back. Goodnight!

I'm Back!

This has been a busy, crazy week. Fortunately, things are calming down a bit.

I am so grateful to be able to watch my boys grow up. Sam is now starting to phrase sentences, and that just thrills me. He has been very congested lately, and I need to start pumping the vitamins again. It is an easy task with him because he likes them! He is a funny little guy. Thanks to Dy for reminding me that he will be eating things I would rather he didn't. :-( The perils of having a curious toddler. Or just any child, I guess.

David has discovered his toes! It is just too cute. He grabs them and has so much fun rolling from side to side that way! He is still trying to talk everyone out of food, and even managed a drink of water today. I was bathing him and using a cup to pour the water over his head when I turned to talk to Grandma M really quick. I turn back around to see him lapping up the water overflowing from the cup. Sneaky!

Tomorrow (today?) we are going to the library. That will please Sam tremendously.

On Tonight's Menu

Today David is four months old. At times, I can't believe we have had him for such a short time, and at others, it seems as if we have had him longer. We went to Applebee's for dinner(we shall never again repeat that error) and Ben's burger came with one of those fancy toothpicks. Sam pulled it out and was playing with it. No problem. That is, until he decided to eat the little cellophane flag on the end of it. I was slightly horrified that he had done that; but ultimately, couldn't help laughing at the situation.

The night before David decided to join Sam in his bed! He apparantly rolled of my bed onto Sam's bed. He was were he wanted to be because he was jabbering away as happy as can be. :-) It was so cute! If I can ever get pictures uploaded, I have some really cute shots of the boys.

I Like Him

Sam really made my day today. We had David on his tummy on his playmat looking at a pillow book. Sam looked down at him and informed me "I really like him, Mama." Aaawww. Just made me melt. A little bit later, David decided to roll over onto his back (he's decided he can do this for an audience now). Sam's jaw almost hit the floor, and when he got it back up he said "WOW!!" He was so in awe that his little brother can move on his own now! My boys are just wonderful. Can't imagine my life without them.

We went to Sam's Club with grandma today, and she picked up The Sumo of the Opera for Sam. It is so cute! We watched it before bedtime and had some really good laughs. Never thought the day would come that I would say this, but I really prefer our Sam's Club to Costco.

For tomorrow all we have planned is church. Let see what tomorrow brings.

Miscellaneous

So many things happening lately, that I haven't written down all that I wanted. We went to the fair last week on Thursday and Sunday. We all had so much fun. The first time we went, Sam insisted going on the Ferris wheel and Daddy obliged. I was not allowed on because I had David in our sling. As a matter of fact, I wasn't allowed on any of the rides because of that. Actually, we were allowed on the carousel but only because I had to sit on one of the benches. Ben had fun trying to shoot out the paper star in order to win a bicycle. He missed one teensy, tiny corner of the star. On Sunday, we got to watch the rodeo. That was a lot of fun and Sam was ever so excited to see the horses.

We went to our city library (the county library is much closer, and we have been going to it quite a bit, but it has a very limited selection) for the first time today. It is such a beautiful library with all its wrought iron. Sam was in seventh heaven to be at a new library, but this branch only carries all the adult material. The youth library is a couple of blocks north from it. Going to the library or the happy face store(aka Wal-mart) is equivalent of a theme park to him. Sam is such a riot! He said something rather funny in the car today(can't remember what, just that it was funny to us and not to him) and when his grandmother and I laughed he very seriously said "It is not funny!" Poor Sam, that just made us laugh harder.

David refuses to roll over any more. Oh, well. He'll get there. He is trying to convince anybody he can that mommy is starving him. One look at his thighs and anybody can see it isn't so! Don't know why he's in such a rush to leave the breast for food.

Thank you, Dy, for your link to W Ketchup. I am going to buy a case of it and give it with Christmas gifts this year.

Don't have much planned for this weekend, just hope to relax and enjoy the boys. We'll see how it goes.

Roly Poly Baby

David rolled over for the first time today! He was on the bed checking stuff out on the headboard when, poof, he's on his back! Good grief, but they grow up fast!

Daddy and his babies

I got such a warm, fuzzy feeling yesterday. David was awake when Ben got home from work, and that child was so excited to see his Daddy! He had such a wonderful smile for Daddy. I had trouble holding on to him he was so excited Daddy was home. Sam did much the same thing when he was David's age. Now, every time the front door opens (no matter what time of day it is) he runs out yelling for Daddy. He is sorely dissapointed when it is not Ben but is all the more excited when he is finally home. So sweet to see.

Reason to Blog

The main reason for this blog is to journal my boys' lives as they grow. I have not done a good job of writing in their actual journals so far, but I hope to do better at this.

Samuel will be 3 this January. I don't know where the time has gone as it seems just yesterday that he was trying to figure out how to crawl forward. He is a sweet, loving little boy. He is so loving and good with his little brother.

David is a happy, fat 4 month old baby. Most of the time he is very easy-going, but he does have a temper and a will to match his parents'. :-) The first person he ever smiled at was Sam. He gets ever so excited to talk and play with him.

Ok. I will be back later to tell of their latest adventures.