Rhett: One Year Stats

Slowly but surely I am catching up. Never mind that Rhett turned one over a month ago...

My baby is a big boy! He keeps progressing, faster than I can keep up. It is fun and bittersweet to watch him transform into a sweet boy, but he is still my baby!

So much time has passed that I am beginning to forget the little details and important dates but I am going to do my best. 

Rhett started walking the week before his birthday, in fact it was the day after Max and Kate's birthday, so September 16th. He had been free standing and squatting for a while and never really scaled furniture, he just went right into taking steps. Mr. Big Stuff! Now he is a pro, very speedy and balanced. We don't see crawling anymore.

Rhett loves to be outside. LOVES! Now that the weather is cooling off we spend time out in the yard every morning. I am continually surprised at what Rhett is capable of. He picks up so much by observing us and his brother and sister. Case and point: chalk drawing. He just picked up a piece and started drawing. Probably not a big deal but as his mom I was naturally impressed.

He is very expressive and we think he is hilarious. He is genuinely a fun kid. We find a lot of joy in him and are happy he is around.

He loves to sit out in the back and shovel rocks into a bucket.

He has amazing bed head. He has had a few hair cuts, mainly trims as I am still not brave enough to cut it all off. I don't want to lose his curls, though I have trimmed a bit off the curls and they came back.

Rhett self weaned at 11 1/2 months and never looked back. He loves food and has a sixth sense of when the pantry is open or when you are sneaking the good stuff. You are obligated to share whatever you have, it is good and proper. Since we have been potty training Rhett has enjoyed the candy jar. He stands right in line, fully expecting to get a reward. If you let him at the m&m's he jams his hand in the jar and grabs as many as he can, then shoves his entire fistful of candy into his mouth. It is hilarious and I indulge him occasionally with a full fist of candy, though usually he gets the standard 2 candies. He is happy either way.

Oh goodness, never grow up!

I die at this photo. My heart turns into a mass of mommy goo and I just beam. Love him. LOVE him!

One Year Stats

Weight: 19 pounds 14 ounces-8%

Length: 29 inches-19%

Wears 12 month clothes, size 3 shoes, size 3 diapers.

Has 6 teeth, 4 on top and 2 on bottom.

He takes two naps a day and sleeps from roughly 8pm to 6:30am. He goes down like a champ requiring only his blankie. 

He loves to watch Blues Clues and will sing along with the show. I still need to capture it on video but there is a song they sing on the show, the mail song. Steve, the main character will wave his hands and yell "mail!". Rhett was toddling around the kitchen, in my eyes, not really paying attention to the show. While Rhett was digging around in the recycling bin he stopped what he was doing to raise his arms in the air and yell, totally mimicking the tone and sound of Steve singing "mail!". I died. So cute. 

Rhett also loves to do letters on Starfall.com. If you sit at the computer this means you will do letters with him and he lets you know it. Again, we indulge him. He will repeat the phonics of the letters "a" and "h". He loves when the characters dance or when there is fun music on the site. He also mimics the sound of the horn blowing for the letter "h".

All in all, he is a pretty dang cool kid and we love him.

Max: 3 Years Old

I love this image above. LOVE. When I pull out the camera nowadays Max is happy to pose and all I get are cheesy grins and silliness. Which means I have one shot before I lose the natural moment. So I am very glad I captured him above. That is Max, that's my sweet boy.

Three year old Max is fun and exhausting all at once. He is a good boy, loves to be involved and helping with anything. He loves to ask questions and repeat what you say. He is observant, always watching you. He is smart. He knows all his letters and phonics, numbers up to 20, and shapes (rhombus, octagon, rectangle, cube, etc. Not just circle/square). He loves puzzles and matching games.

He is going through a pocket phase, all his treasures go in his pockets; rocks, small toys, whatever he deems worthy. Makes sorting through the laundry fun.



He loves to be outside, help his dad, play with friends, ride his car and go on outings.



Max adores our neighbor Dylan. He loves to play with him and thinks he is all kinds of awesome. I love that Dylan genuinely likes to play with our kids regardless of the age difference.



Max plays well with Rhett most of the time. They like to play outside together but Max is very territorial about his toys and special things. What he allows Rhett to play with varies with his mood and how generous he is feeling. Sometimes he surprises me and when he is being kind I certainly make sure I point it out and praise him. He often says "Mom, Rhett loves me". I assure him that indeed, Rhett does love him.



Max loves to tease Kate and he is excellent at it. Little stinker. He knows how to push her buttons and he drives us all crazy with his antics. Like most kids when he is good, he is good, and when he is bad, he is just rotten.

Max is tender. He is a boy of routine and he has certain things that must be regular or he loses it. ie: he always sits in the corner of the couch nearest the TV, that is his spot. He always sits in the same chair at the dinner table. His blanket must be placed on him with the minky/soft side down when he goes to sleep and the night light and fan must be on. He gets stressed out if things aren't done properly or if someone isn't doing what he knows to be right. (His siblings following the rules of the house).

He loves to snuggle and receive affection.



3 Year Stats
Weight: 26 pounds-3%
Height: 36 inches-10%
Size 7 shoes, 2T pants, 3T shirts, has all his primary teeth.



We love you Max.

Potty Training

We finally bit the bullet, stepped up to the plate, faced the music, put on our big kid undies (har dee har har, pun totally intended)... Enough with the cheesy idioms.

We did it! We started potty training Wednesday afternoon. Weird that we chose a half day, right? By all intents and purposes I was going to start Thursday morning but Phil, not having the same penchant for mental preparation and strict timelines said to just do it. Aaaaand we did.

Throwing their baby diapers in the trash. (aka: a clean garbage bag that now lives in my closet)

The undies were brought out and two pairs selected. Kate chose princess undies at the store and Max fell in love with Toy Story. I spent over $40 in underwear. Good grief! Add on another $50 for two cases of pull-ups. It will all pay off in the end, goodness knows how much we have spent on diapers over the past 3 years!

There was some coercing required to get two cute little bums on board. Kate wasn't so sure about ditching her diaper at first and Max took almost an hour to decide which character was going to cover his cheeks.

Max stayed dry the rest of the day and I think he must have peed in the bath tub. When it was time for bed, we put on a pull-up, and put the undies on over it. Max was sure that they were diapers and we stressed that they were not, just super cool and special night-time undies. He bought it and promptly peed in them. Old habits die hard.

Kate had soooo many accidents the first day. She would cry when it happened and we tried our darndest to make it to the potty. I would tell her constantly to let me know when she needed to go potty, we sat on the potty every 15 minutes. She would sit and sit, say she didn't need to go, hop off, and then 2 minutes later release. Repeat 12 more times. I think towards the end of the night she made it once.

We have potty charts and prizes sitting on top of the fridge. They get 1 m&m candy for sitting on the potty, 2 m&m's for pee and 3 m&m's for poo. They also get 1 sticker on their chart for pee and 2 stickers for #2. When the chart is full of stickers they get their toy; a Woody and Bullseye figurine set for Max and a Butterfly Ballerina Barbie for Kate. They are very excited about these toys!

Day 2 went better. Kate earned 3 or 4 more stickers on her chart and Max earned 1. He holds it forever and finally lets loose. He can sit on the potty for long periods of time and nothing. Kate is improving and that is great! She still had a lot of accidents but towards the end of the night she had made the connection of recognizing the signals and running to the potty. But she would still have wet undies when she got there. They still had not gone #2 at the end of the day, though Kate was working on something, and I didn't want them to get constipated. I gave them some prunes and called them "super raisins", they loved that and ate 2 each. We'll see if that was a good idea or not.

I went to get some fresh produce at the end of day 2. I was gone for 30 minutes and during that time Phil got to deal with a nasty poop. Ha! I had been dreading this all day. It even made me toss and turn all night. Sad but true. I have issues. He said it was so gross. And it got everywhere. I was sympathetic but secretly happy I dodged that first bullet. Heck, we all know there will be plenty more, and all for me. Kate blows through her entire underwear supply almost twice each day. A load of laundry each night and possibly during nap time is essential.

Day 3: Started off okay. Neither of them woke up ready to sit on the potty but we finally got there and they got their reward. No pee from either. We kept trying and trying. I knew that Kate had to go so I had her sit on her potty and gave her a juice box while I read a story. Worked! She went and was so happy and proud! Max didn't go and instead had an accident. It was a big one since he woke up almost dry and then held it for 2 hours. Max finally went #2, twice. In his undies. Gross but easy clean-up. With Kate, her "super raisins" made their debut in the nastiest way possible. So, so disgusting. I was dry heaving so badly, thankfully had a box of latex gloves on hand and had to pause periodically during clean-up to gain my composure. Max and Kate were both sitting on their potties while I cleaned up. Max very concerned about my behavior asked "You need a drink mommy?". (I was swallowing hard and breathing deeply to keep my cookies.) Ha! So sweet. I told him no but thank you.

And now since we have all read entirely too much about the toileting habits of my children let's wrap this thing up. Since last week they both have #1 down pretty well. There are still accidents, like in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart yesterday, and we are still working on #2 in the potty. Max has gone once and in his undies ever since. Slowly but surely...

To encourage #2 in the potty we have a new potty chart and picked out one more incentive toy. It might be awhile before they get to play with them. When the candy jar is empty there will be no more rewards for #1 other than praise.

I am so proud of them! They are doing really well and it is amazing how lovely it is to only have to change one bum around here.

We read lots of stories and play games while doing our business. "Read a story me, mom".

Rhett has enjoyed the perks of potty training too. Can't bust a juice box out without his radar picking it up.

Working with Dad

Right after we moved home it was "Operation: Restore the Yard to it's former Phil Glory".

Phil worked outside one Saturday in May for over 12 hours. The kids jumped at the chance to be outside and even better was working next to their dad. Max especially was in heaven, mimicking Phil's every move.
 



They worked on repairing sprinklers and the watering system, trimmed bushes, mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, etc. It was a messy business. And pure kid nirvana.
 

Such hard work required sustenance and a cool down.
 

Our sweet neighbor Dylan made a showing and played with the kids a bit while Rhett enjoyed the view from the garage.



It kills me how much the kids have changed in just 5 short months. I sure love them.

Tender Mercies

Last Saturday I took Max and Kate to get some shoes. We were headed to a consignment store about 7 miles away via freeway. I was cruising along, radio blaring, two happy kids strapped in the back seat when I heard a strange noise and then our truck came to an abrupt stop. In the middle of the freeway. No safety lane, next to a concrete barrier, on a curve where cars didn't have a clear view of me until they were coming around the bend, super close. Crap.

Not just crap but HOLY FREAK OUT!



Total blowout. I had no idea how bad it was since there was no way I could safely get out of my truck. All I knew was that I was stuck in 65+mph traffic in a very bad location. There was road construction that had merged everyone into two skinny lanes with zero wiggle room. And I was blocking one of them.

I turned on my hazard lights, frantically called Phil and tearfully told him of our predicament. He told me to call the cops and have someone help me out of the lane. I did and they redirected my call to DPS, took my info and I sat.

Tender Mercy #1: A construction worker drove his tractor over to us and asked what was going on. I told him of the situation and that help was coming. I thought that I couldn't drive in this condition and that we were going to have to sit there until help arrived. Meanwhile, another construction worker who was heading out for the day was making a beeline over to us. He told me to get the heck of the road (not really but pretty much) and that he wanted me to drive at a walking pace until I could pull over. Almost a mile away. This tire blew at the worst possible place.

I did as directed, white-knuckling the steering wheel as our truck hobbled along. It sounded awful and I was sure that I was tearing up the truck something fierce.

As I was driving I could see that these amazing men had driven a huge work truck out onto the freeway behind me and were waving off traffic so we didn't get creamed from behind. Another truck sped along side me on the other side of the concrete berms to meet me at the safe clearing. And the man who told me to get off the road was waiting in his car making sure I did so safely.

We finally made it and two construction workers got right to work evaluating the tire and peppering me with questions regarding the spare, jack, etc. I pulled the kids out of the truck and one said "Man! If I knew you had kids in there I would gone double-time! Forget the rim!". Um, thanks? I felt like mother of the year though I know that wasn't his intent.

I put Max and Kate in the back of the truck with strict instructions to stay put. One man gave them some cold water and they were quite enjoying this adventure.

Tender Mercy #2: It is October, not terribly hot and my kids are not freaking out.



Tender  Mercy #3: The construction workers were still at the site. When I drove back to the shoe store 20 minutes later there was no one there.

Tender Mercy #4: Phil was home.

Tender Mercy #5: We didn't get hit or die. :) But really, that was such a blessing that nothing serious happened to us.



I am so grateful that those men were generous and kind in assisting me. I felt woefully inadequate just trying to find the tire jack, unlocking the spare tire, etc. I know that physically I do not have the strength to unlock the spare from under the truck bed, remove the bad tire and throw it in the back of the truck. And changing the tire? Ah! Phil tightens the lug nuts with an air gun. I have been working out but psh! Bless those sweet men who helped the crazy lady sitting in traffic with two small children. If I had waited for DPS to show up we would have been there a looooong time.

Spooky

The kids are finally at an age where they are aware of holidays and decorations and I can fulfill my inner fun mom. We spooked up the house last week and had a good time doing it. I can't wait for Christmas!

10 on 10: October 2012

One photo, every hour, for 10 hours, on the 10th day of the month.

Our mornings always start the same. Kids wake around 6:30am, sippys of milk while watching PBS kids, breakfast, usually fruit and "cheer-cheers" for Kate (Cheerios) and "white cheer-cheers" (frosted mini wheats) for Max. Rhett has either one and is just happy he is eating. 

We have guests, our friends, Jan (pronounced yawn) and Tamara from Germany. Whenever we have sleepover guests Rhett gets bumped to our closet. It works for everyone for now, though someday in the very distant future I will have a proper guest room.

Love this boy. 

I need to work on my phone photography skills, can we say camera shake? Bleh. But I still love the image all the same, embrace the imperfection!

Kate is not liking photos lately and doesn't appreciate my constant snapping. So I try to have some sort of interaction with her while respecting her preferences. 

Does he look guilty? He is. Little stink loves to tease his sister.

Crocodile tears from my babe. Smashed his own fingers in a cupboard door.

"Hangry"=so hungry you are angry. I wasn't making lunch fast enough.

Fold the three loads of laundry and clean my room or nap? Hmmmm? NAP!

5am boot camp necessitates a nap so I am a nice mom.

1 o'clock hour: changed three bums, put all three to bed and hopped into bed myself. Konk out for roughly an hour. Wake up after 2pm and hear two monkeys in the other room who never went to sleep. Get up to lay down the napping law, walk in their room and get hit with the poop wave. Yuck. Change Max's diaper, confiscate all toys and give strict orders to stay.in.bed!

Jump back in for a few more zzzz's myself. 

Wake 20 minutes or so later and prep milk cups.

Rhett wakes and we go get Max and Kate up.

Cousins! We love visitors. These dears were dropping off an air mattress so Jan and Tamara didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to pump up our leaky one and still end up on the floor in the morning.

At the end of every 10 on 10 day project I feel like I am taking the same pictures but they are representative of our daily life. Kids! That is where I am right now and life is good.