Saying bye-bye to Binky

Daddy decided last night that it was time for A to give up his binky. He'll be 3 in July, and while I agree that it needs to happen, I didn't realize Dad was going to do it last night. So, while Dad was away working at a friend's house, A was up intermittently. Additionally, A has finally learned how to open doors even with the door knob locks, so we went ahead and took his knob lock off his door last night. I don't think A slept very well, and I know for a fact that he's choosing to skip his nap right now as I write. Grrrrr.

I guess I should be happy that at least he hasn't woken up Z yet.

I'm happy that we're finally going down this road with the binky, but wish we could've prepped him for it a bit first so that he was bought into it. But, if it works, I can't complain. Anyway, we'll all likely have a bit less sleep this week. Ugh.

Two teeth and one heck of a grin

This is a kid who loves to smile. Thank goodness for that. Ain't he cute?

Belated 7 month old shot

Z turned 7 months old during our trip to Florida for Nanny's 80th birthday party, so I'm a few days late in getting his puppy pic. And, now that he's moving, it's that much harder to get him to sit still. I had to give him a somewhat confusing toy for him to stop to think about before he decided to give up and come after Mommy and the camera.

Compare the pic of Z (on top) at 7 months to the pic of A (on bottom) wearing the same outfit at 10 months. I bought this outfit for A's 1st birthday outfit, but I loved it so much that I put him in it every chance I got, and I kind of feel like I want to do the same with Z. Silly Mommy.

New Big Boy Room and a Happy Big Boy

A's new room is finally finished being painted and he's moved in. The pictures truly don't do it justice, but you'll be able to see that it's very colorful. G envisioned this room, and he once again was right about the mix of colors (he also decided on the color scheme for the nursery - soon to be Z's room). A loves his new room and just can't get enough of it.

Easter

A finds Easter eggs at our friends' house, then has fun getting sugared up with his buddy, AM. Finally Z gets some cuddles from DD.

Let the pretend begin

A has learned how much fun it is to make up your own world. I overheard him playing with some of his "people" - different creatures, dolls, figurines that fit nicely in the hand of a toddler - and he had them talking to each other. The lightbulb went off in my head that I should get out the old dollhouse that my maternal grandmother used to let me play with at her house when I was a little girl. Man, has this house been a hit! A loves it, and is surprisingly (and happily) just gentle enough with it.

Daddy likes to give Mommy heart attacks

My wonderful hubby is a typical father in that he loves to rough house with his boys. And, my boys, in turn, absolutely love it when daddy wants to rough house. There are times when I hold my breath, hoping that no one gets hurt. Fortunately, no one has... so far. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed.

This photo is an example of another way G likes to freak me out. He teaches Z, and sometimes A, to do things that Mommy is NOT ready for. Like having an infant who likes to stand, without anyone holding on to him, and he cries when he falls down, not from falling, but because he's not standing anymore. Oy.

Z and Dr. Riley

We have a picture with A with Dr. Riley at this age. Dr. Riley is our family doctor and delivered both of my beautiful boys. So, to follow in A's footsteps, we decided to get Z's pic with Dr. Riley at his 6 month well baby check-up (before the shots).

Thanks Dr. Riley for keeping our family healthy.

The Artist

Alex has learned to love painting, and I finally captured a picture of him with his artwork and easel. Don't ya love the socks?

Plus, to give you a sense of scale, he's wearing one of my shirts. It reminds me of when my niece and nephews used to wear my old t-shirts when they were younger. They're all grown up now, but at least there's a new batch of kiddos ready to wear my clothes and remind me of how small they are.

Z Crawling Video!

Z officially crawls now. Also pulls himself into a seated position. Also likes to pull up on things. He's 7 months and 4 days old. Goodness, I think I'm in for quite an interesting ride with this one.

He also got his 2nd tooth today. Hopefully now he'll start sleeping better.

I'm experimenting with video, so please forgive me if this is a bit shaky.

:-) Enjoy.

Excuses, Excuses

In addition to A often citing crocodiles, fish and seals as the reason he did something, he also likes to tell you "I tired" when you ask him to do something he doesn't want to do. For instance, A knows the "Alphabet Song" and "Trinkle, Trinkle Little 'Tar", but when asked to sing these songs for an audience, he says "I tired" as an excuse not to sing. He also uses this excuse in other instances where he's unsure of the situation, like when someone is coming over to the house that he hasn't seen in a while he'll say "I tired" when asked if he wants to say hi or see the person, or if I don't give him enough transition time before leaving the house for an activity or errand he'll say "I tired" and that he wants to stay home. Often, "I tired" is coupled with tears or whining. I'm not complaining, just documenting.

Also, as an update to the CFS situation, I've started telling A that I ate all the CFS's whenever he brings them up. This a) makes A laugh and b) distracts him from whatever he was blaming the CFS's for.

It's interesting to see the way A is navigating various situations. It makes me wonder what will be the next excuse.