Mr. Potato Head

After receiving Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from Grandma Cathy, Jackson has spent HOURS playing with the silly little things. He is getting better at being able to put all the pieces in, though sometimes he needs a little help. He also has an idea of where the pieces go now ... at first, hands were coming out where the eyes should be, and noses were on the tops of the heads. I think he gets it now. Of course, I think my child is a creative genius, so here are some pictures of his masterpieces today. He was quite proud!
Yes, Mrs. Potato head (left) has a little too much testosterone with that mustache she is sporting. And Mr. Potato head must has an elephant trunk for his nose.
Jackson kept saying "Ta-dah!" until ...
... he decided that he was done with them. He squealed with delight and knocked them both down ... sending body parts flying.

In other news, Cooper is getting better. He still has a nasty cough, and his "schedule" is off, and he is waking up a million times every night. BUT, his nose isn't running anymore and he is even smiling and giggling a little today. Yay! And I know that they are only 19 months apart, and I should remember more with Jackson, but man ... I had forgotten how hard it can be to dress a 6 month old. Arms and legs flying everywhere, lunging forward to grab the wipes, rolling over before I can snap the onesie. Trying to sit up to look in the mirror, pulling the cover off of the changing pad. Goodness Gracious! The child does not sit still.
It's 2:00 right now which is my FAVORITE time of the day. Both boys are in the beds at 1:30 whether they are tired or not (they usually are). By this time they have fallen asleep and I get my "break." This involves checking email or watching a few minutes of tv that the tivo has so graciously recorded for me, and best of all, drinking a DDP (diet dr. pepper - caff. free, of course). :) Sometimes I may even get to eat a real lunch! I really know how to let loose! I believe these 10-15 minutes help me to be a better mommy - You know what I am talking about -Just enough time to recharge. Then I use the rest of the time until Cooper decides to wake up to get started on dinner, or clean up the mess from the morning ... laundry, whatever. And I get to do it all in silence. Aaah. I usually don't even turn on the radio, and hardly ever answer the phone. Just peace and quiet!

Beds, Potties, and more!

I don't have any pictures to post - but I have a few things to follow up on...

Jackson slept fine the first night in his big boy bed. However, the following day for his nap, he was goofing off and talking to his teddy bear like usual. I was out getting a pedicure (hehe) and Colin was downstairs. He heard a "Boom" and then Jackson started crying. So, he ran upstairs and Jackson met him at the door - we're not exactly sure what happened, but Colin got him some water, read another book, and he went back to sleep. He woke up not too long after I got back sporting a nice bruise on his nose right between his eyes. From what I can piece together he must have totally fallen out onto the floor. He talks about it everytime we go in his room, but I need a decoder to figure out his secret language. "Bed" "Oww" "Train" "Block" "BooBoo"
So, I think he was standing in his bed, reached for his favorite block (it has a train on it) and fell from standing up all the way to the floor, hitting the rail on his way down. OUCH!
So, I feel terrible about the whole thing. But, he seems okay and doesn't have any fear of getting right back in the bed. He loves climbing in by himself, and he still doesn't get out of it by himself. When he wakes up he just calls for me. (I am fine with him thinking he has to stay in there until I come and get him!)

Today I put him on the potty and he immediately peepeed (is that a word??) again. I can't believe I am writing about this. HAHA! Anyway, that was great. Then, just before his bath he sat on it like usual, but nothing. So, we bathed him, got pjs on, read books, and then he went to bed. 20 minutes later he started calling for me "Mama, - Bah." I was out running (yes, running) so Colin went up there, and finally realized that he was asking for "bath" but really was trying to find a way to ask for potty. He had already gone in his diaper, but sat on it anyway. This seems like a good sign though! If he can start anticipating it that is so great!

Back to the running. I am not a runner. Nor do I enjoy it. I think I ran track when I was in middle school - and a little soccer in highschool. But after losing the baby weight from Cooper (all 47 pounds ...eek!) I just feel like it's time to get some muscle tone. I also NEED to get out of the house by the end of the day. So, once the kids are both in bed, I get my tennis shoes on and grab my ipod and go running - usually around 8:30, sometimes as late as 9:45. The bad thing is it's dark - kinda creepy - but this is my only chance to do it. I can barely push the double stroller while walking, I would have to get jet packs to try and actually run with it. Plus the wheels might go flying off. Anyway, back to being dark. The first few nights I spent the majority of the time looking behind me in case there might be a lurker following me. The fear also kept me running! : ) There are street lights, and now that I'm used to it, it's not so bad. Though, what is with the June bugs? I hate those things. And it's April for Goodness Sakes! Ick. They fly right at my face. The good thing about it being dark when I run is that no one can see how silly I look! But, it's getting better. I am looking forward to it. And it feels good! I've been running about a mile, and that's a start.

Cooper is sick. Sick, sick, sick. We went to the doctor today - it was supossed to be his Six month Well visit, but instead it was a sick visit. They tested him for the flu, and luckily it was negative. It just seems to be a nasty viral cold. He is so pitiful. I'm hoping that Jackson can somehow avoid it, but I am expecting him to wake up with it tomorrow.
Speaking of Cooper, he just woke up crying (for the first time of many, I'm sure), so I will finish with that. It's funny that I spend my evenings writing about peepee, toddler beds, and snotty noses. Please don't give up on my blog! I'll post cute pictures soon! : )

Around the house

The last week has been really good with both boys. Cooper has been, for the most part, sleeping through the night. We've had several big moments this weekend. First of all, we decided on Friday that we would convert Jackson's crib into a toddler bed. He was THRILLED to say the least. He loves any activity that involves tools (or, "tewwwles" as he says). Of course, I had to document this milestone with some photographs:

BEFORE

AFTER

Cooper thought it was all the fun! And yes, I know, he doesn't have any clothes on. Occasionally I do dress him. It's just that withing 10-15 minutes he spits up green beans or butternut squash all over them. After redressing him 3 or 4 times, I just give up.

Lately Coop has been sucking on his bottom lip and I think it is just about the cutest thing ever.

Jackson let Cooper play with his taggie blanket (I'm a bad mom and haven't made Cooper his own, yet... by the time I get around to it he will probably not be interested in
playing with the tags anymore).

I took a few of Cooper around the house this week -

See! Here he is dressed and ready for bed!

And, ... naked again. And sucking on his lip.


I just thought it was cute how he is grabbing his tummy.

In other news, we got Jackson a potty a few weeks ago, and he loves to sit on it before his bath. Sometimes for a very long time and I just keep asking, "Are you ready for your bath, yet?" Response - "No." And he continues to sit. Then we read several books about the potty and I remind him that if he goes peepee in the potty he will get a jellybean (it's the only kind of candy I can keep in the house - I don't like them so I don't eat them all). And still, nothing.
So, tonight I was putting away laundry and Jackson and Colin were in the bathroom, and Colin cannot get him off the pot. He has been sitting on it for 15 minutes (which seems like a long time when you're just waiting to bathe him). Anyway, I finally just told Colin to go get a juice box (which he doesn't get very often at all) and then maybe he will just not be able to hold it anymore and we can get on with the bath, and then story time, and he will finally go to bed. And what do you know, he peed! WOOWOO! Of course, it sprayed off the little deflector and went all over the seat, too .... which he didn't enjoy AT ALL. But, he was overall fairly proud of himself. I have no pictures of the event (Let out your sigh of relief). He really enjoyed the jelly bean! I have no desire to really lose the diapers yet, I don't think he is ready, but as long as he wants to sit on the potty, maybe he will eventually decide he wants to ditch the diapers himself. Who knows. If not, I'll work on it in a few months.

GO COOP!

So,since his inital 10 minute cry to sleep - he has now gone to sleep for every nap/bedtime in 3-5 minutes. Ahhhhh. I am so thankful. Life with two kids is getting easier and easier by the minute. Of course, it's still crazy ... why can't they just poop at the same time? I feel like I am alternatively changing diapers all day long. One poops, then needs to eat, then the other one needs to eat. then he poops. and the first one poops again, then needs to eat ... and the cycle continues until 8:30 pm. What fun!
I am truly grateful for many things - first and foremost being able to stay at home and take care of them - even if it wears me out and I don't get a shower until 3 or 4 pm. I am also grateful that Cooper spits up a little less now, and hardly cries at all. UNBELIEVABLE. I just kept telling myself - "you can do this!" "six months will be here and he will be better!" I had 6 months in my head as the light at the end of the tunnel --- just hoping that by that point things would get better for Cooper. And, here we are ... 5 1/2 months later, just enjoying the wonderful chaos of these two boys and very thankful for every little bit of it. Now, if the third could just not have colic and reflux... (You know things are good when we are considering having another!) Of course, not right now. But eventually.

Cooper is amazing

So, I decided out of the blue that today would be the day that I would let Cooper try and fall asleep on his own. He isn't hard to get to sleep - but it takes about 10 minutes of me bouncing/walking him. I have noticed in the last week if he is still a little awake when I put him down he will open his eyes and then close them back and fall asleep. So, I sucked it up, and just put him in his crib at 12:34. I turned off the monitor, and got busy cleaning up the kitchen from lunch. Trying to keep my mind off of the screaming. I had mentally prepared myself to deal with for an hour and a half - since that is how long it took Jackson the first week. 10 minutes later I didn't hear the crying. I turned on the monitor and heard nothing. So, just so I could be sure he didn't fall out of his crib and stop breathing or something, I went and peeked it. He was fast asleep.
WOOOOO HOOOOO! I'm so proud of him. And happy for me! :)
I better go play with JAckson before his nap.

More Easter

I know I have posted a million pictures of our Easter weekend, but here are the last of them. Saturday, we had an egg hunt after Jackson's nap.
Looking everywhere for the eggs

Aunt Ali helping find some eggs

A shoe!!!

A card!!!

This outfit was pretty darn cute, but he only wore it on Saturday since it was so cold on Sunday morning. His Sunday outfit was hysterical. It was a 9 mo. size, and it was supposed to be long pants, but they stopped just below his knees. I didn't get any pictures of him in the get-up because we were busy fixing brunch. But, I did get a few pictures of them decorating Easter sugar cookies. I made the cookies from scratch, and Aunt Alison rolled them out and cut out the cookie cutter shapes. We also made the icing from scratch- which was a first. It turned out so yummy! I wish I hadn't sent them all to work with Colin, but I knew I'd eat them all if they were here.

We made quite a mess

Tah - Dah

These were some pictures Colin got of Cooper over the weekend. He looks alot like my brother in these photos, I think. He has the same bright blue eyes - just like our dad. It makes me happy to see both of them in him.

Easter Eggstravaganza

On Saturday we dyed eggs and got some cute pictures of the boys. Jackson thoroughly enjoyed himself. We all decorated a few. It sure reminded me of Mawmaw Bea (my mom's mom). We always dyed eggs down at her house on Easter, and I wish I had all of her coffee mugs to use this year!
I tried to put gloves on Jackson--- they lasted about 3 seconds.

Birthdays

We've had a couple of birthday parties in the last couple of weeks, and Jackson has really enjoyed them. I also am quite fond of them - mmm... cake and icecream! Our friends, Rebekah and Tom, just celebrated Henry's first birthday. Henry loves Monkeys, so the theme was set! IT was precious - down to the treats - banana bread, banana splits ... and an adorable cake. If you don't already do so, you can stalk Rebekah's blog - the link is on our page : ) (Louis Family)

Here's the birthday boy:


Colin with Cooper:

The boys: (Tom with Henry, Adam with Thomas, and Colin with our two rugrats). It seems like almost all of our college friends have boys.
Seriously - someone needs to have a girl next!
Kristen? Rebekah? Jessica? Amanda? Any news to share??
And a group shot of the kiddos. How cute! Cooper is, of course, front and center crying his eyes out. (But look how good he's sitting up!)
Jackson's in the back looking over to Colin - wondering what in the world is going on.
Rebekah - I think the party was great, and Henry was precious as always. Now you'll have to start making plans for next year!

This past Friday we went to a birthday party for Jackson's friend, Ella. Kathy and Brian can sure throw a good party too! The party was at Build a Bear - What fun! Jackson took a while to warm up ... but he really enjoyed it.
Everyone signed a bear for Ella to take home -
After Jackson made a puppy dog, we headed up to the food court for cake. Here is the birthday girl! Kathy - I am blown away with the cupcake-cake! It was amazing!
And finally, a ride on the carousel. Luckily, Mawmaw Cynthia and Aunt Coco made it in town for the party! And even better - Mawmaw rode the carousel with Jackson while I held Cooper. He wasn't too excited about riding a horse, but seemed to enjoy the sleigh.

Funny Bunny

Last week we had an Easter Party/Egg Hunt with our mom's group. Jackson had a blast. Long story short - he was eagerly picking up the eggs and putting him in his basket as quickly as he could. He was running so fast, and I had Cooper on my hip, so I couldn't get any good pictures. At one point, an egg popped open and Jackson saw the candy inside, and he got a HUGE grin on his face. So, from then on ... he opened each egg, and put it in his basket only if he liked what was in it. Starbursts? Keep. Easter Stickers? Leave it on the ground.


I snapped a few pictures of the boys later that day...

Arboretum

On Monday we went to the Dallas Arboretum with our mom's group. Best of all, Colin took off work for the a.m and came with us! It was really, really nice to spend some time as family - it seems like lately we just use the weekends to catch up on stuff around the house. This was WAY better than cleaning and cooking and mowing the grass. They have lots of children's activities going on -There was a petting zoo that Jackson really enjoyed, but all the pictures I got were of him looking down at the ground with a sheep's butt in the background. So, no pictures of the animals.

We ran around in a little playhouse for awhile, and Jackson loved it. By this point we had been in the Arboretum for about 10 minutes, and Cooper was sleeping peacefully in the stroller. (YAY!) Jackson was enjoying playing in the mulch ...





































My friend Jessica was there with her three children
(She is a brave woman!)
Jackson had a great time running around with her two older kiddos - Nicholas and Emma. I got some great pictures of them ...




Jackson ran and ran and ran. He fell down a couple of times, and just stayed there on the ground. He was happy to be rolling around in the grass. After all the playing, he scarfed down his sandwich before I turned around to look at him.

I had to get a picture of Cooper in here - he was a great sport and really enjoyed the fresh air - even though it was a little chilly.