4 months and 2 years

The snow is blowing here today!  With temps dipping dramatically all over the country, I'm happy it's at least above zero.  And after a comparatively warm and busy weekend, I'm more than fine spending this lazy day indoors. We've got the Play-Doh, crayons, stickers, and library books out.  White chili is cooking in the crock pot.  Just another day at the office.  Truthfully, this would be considered an excellent day at the office because I actually got in the shower before 10 am, and Cole and Max both napped. 

I realized several weeks ago that I used to post updates of Max's milestones and haven't kept up that tradition with Max, or Cole for that matter.  As a first-born myself, I can understand how younger siblings feel when they compare number of photos, baby book entries, etc.  I'm feeling a little guilty about that.  It's just not as easy when you've got more than one kiddo to manage.  That being said, I've wondered over the months how Cole is doing with sleep, growth, and development when set side by side with his brother.  I know, I know, don't compare.  Tisk, tisk.  But, how in the world, do you not compare?

This month, both Max and Cole had wellness visits.  Cole had his 4-month and Max had his 2-year. 
At 4 months, Cole weighs 14 lbs, 10 oz and is 25 7/8 inches.  (Max was 15 lbs, 0 oz and 26 inches)
At 2 years, Max weighs 22 lbs, 1 oz and is 32.5 inches tall.

Cole has been a chronic 30-minute napper since pretty much forever.   He might nap up to 45 minutes once in a blue moon.  And when left with friends last month, he apparently slept 3.5 hours while David and I were snowboarding.  Huh?! Whatev.  Other than that, I can pretty much set the timer for 30 minutes when I put him down for a nap and he's waking up right on schedule.  Having used the Babywise method for both boys, it's tough to figure out what the issue is, other than that he just doesn't need as much sleep.  Today, I allowed him to cry it out for 5 minutes.  With each subsequent nap, it took him less time to settle down and he started sleeping 40 and 45 minutes.  Interesting.  I've read from other moms who have gone through the same thing that rarely does any particular intervention seem to help, other than just waiting for them to outgrow it.  I'll keep on trying CIO and see what becomes of it.  We are also waiting for him to sleep through the night.  Max accomplished this nightly just after 13 weeks of age.  I'm so ready to have a full night's sleep.  Hopefully soon, before my dark under eye circles come permanent. 

MAX 2.0

Ok, so I'm a little behind on my photo-a-day challenge.  Therefore, in the spirit of the New Year, I'm moving forward....all the way to January 4th.  The anniversary of our Maximilian's birth.   It's amazing how quickly two years can fly and how easily one little boy can steal your heart.

Late last night we placed helium balloons in Max's room, tying and taping them in place so that it would look like they were all floating there.  We attached one in the middle of the room to a small gift.  The next morning, when he woke, we watched him (through the video baby monitor) take inventory of his room with wonder.  Then we crept in and he said, "Mama, Dada.  Boons."  His expression was priceless. 

 Max has been asking for weeks for a blue step stool.  I have no idea where he got that from.   You can't even imagine the joy on his face when he went to wash his hands and found a blue step stool, topped with bow and ribbon, just for him!  We have his reaction on video and I can't wait to show it to him several years from now. 

Thank you for all of the great birthday messages and thoughtful gifts.  Max loved listening to the birthday songs.  I'm positive he felt quite special today; he had such a big smile on his face.

NYE

My friend Lindsey drove down from Denver today.  After she arrived, David, Max, Cole, Lindsey, and I packed a picnic lunch and visited the Garden of the Gods.  David took pictures of Max climbing rocks and Lindsey and I took short walk around several of the rock formations with Cole.  We wore the boys out and both fell asleep before we made the short 5 minute drive home. 

We planned an incredible dinner at home, with all the favorites and some traditional treats from our youth.  For David, that included Martinelli's Sparkling Grape Juice and Bugles.  For me, it was Russian Cream for dessert.  Since Max is a little young to bang pots and pans at midnight, he went to bed and we adults enjoyed a feast of filet, crab legs, roasted potatoes and asparagus.  YUM!  

We watched the ball drop in New York and then enjoyed a fireworks show on Pikes Peak from our living room window.  It was a total surprise and really beautiful!

Here are pictures of the boys enjoying their New Year's Eve:

 

From Fred to Freddy's

It was a Freddy's day.  I had a lunch date with my small fry and my baby fry today.
We had Freddy's when we lived in San Antonio and took Max when he was a newborn, less than 2 weeks old.  I got so excited when I saw the Freddy's sign just off our exit.
Max loved the skinny fries and the "whopper" pickles.   He thought creating his own mini sundae was top notch.  His pick? Vanilla custard with marshmallow, pecans and 3 cherries.

 

P.S.  Cole slept 8 1/2 hours last night! 

Oh Dear!

Found these two hanging out in our back yard today.  They got spooked by a coyote winding around the neighbor's fence and took off shortly afterward. 

We counted 10 on our walk tonight. Nine on the golf course and one in a neighbor's bushes.  We turned around from counting the ones on the course to find the lone ranger walking right towards us.  Because I was alone with Max in the stroller, and not up for playing chicken, I ran.  They are big, and a little too friendly here. 

On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Day of Christmas

So yesterday, I wrote a post, but due to poor internet connectivity, I lost the whole thing.  So, here is an abbreviated version as well as today's note.

Dec 26 - My little love, Max, and I made Christmas cookies today!  I've been wanting to make cookies for days, but even with several trips to the store for supplies, it just didn't happen until today.

David had his first day at his new job today and is very excited about the opportunity.  We miss having him work from home, but at least his commute is only 7 minutes door-to-door. 

Dec 27 - Our friend, Dan, and son, Brodi came from Denver to visit today.  David had to put in a few hours at work, so Dan and I took the boys to Garden of the Gods to climb the rocks and run around.  I think we sufficiently tired them out. I have some great photos of them, but they are all on Dan's phone. I will add these later.



Dec 28 - Wow!  What a day!  Poor Max wasn't feeling his best today and Cole refused to sleep.  So, we did what any sleep-deprived parents would do:  we packed a cooler with snacks and stocked the diaper bag, and then loaded the boys up into the car.  We decided to lull them to sleep while we drove to Park Meadows for a little retail therapy.  Just kidding.  Well, kind of.  We did load them up for a drive so they would sleep, but it wasn't totally selfish, I promise.  A little give and take.  After a nice long nap during our drive, they were like new. 

Cole screaming through his nap

I'm back to sleep training with Cole.  I'm looking for ways to corral Max while I work on teaching Cole to fall asleep on his own.  Max isn't into independent play.  I can't seem to get him to sit in one room while I go into another.  He also doesn't quite understand how to whisper or not talk, making bringing him with me into Cole's room impossible.  Short of actually gating him into the playroom, I'm out of ideas.  Those gates may go up soon and I'm looking at some toddler programs to get him out of the house here and there for socialization while I work with Cole.  What in the world do people do in this situation? 

On the 1st Day of Christmas:

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Hope that you are all feeling especially happy and blessed today.  And that wherever you are, whether it's with family, friends, or cozy at home, you are feeling loved.
 
We celebrated Christmas Day at our new home in Colorado Springs.  It was the first time in 6 years that we didn't travel for the holidays, and although I'm sad we didn't spend it with family this year, I'm also very pleased to not have to drag our kids and everything that comes with us through the airport.  So, this year, we were kind of surprised to find ourselves having to think about starting our own family Christmas traditions, combining ones from our families and starting new ones together.  With the recent move, I didn't feel as prepared for Christmas as I would have liked.  Good thing Max is of the age where it's pretty easy, seeing as it's the first one he can participate in, and he has nothing to compare it to. 

We kept it pretty low-key.  I think David and I were more excited about stockings and ripping off wrapping paper than he was.  Max did enjoy opening packages though.  He even volunteered to open Cole's gifts.  He got a little overwhelmed after about 5 gifts though and we had to hurry through lunch to get him in bed for an early nap.  Before he did, we looked out the window to see that Santa had left one of his reindeer behind! 

Blitzen on the patio

Leaving through the front walk

Taking a nap in our backyard

Here is a picture of Max opening gifts this morning.  The cute Santa outfit is a hand-me-down from cousins Abby and Jack.  He changed out of the top and bottom after breakfast but wore the Santa "slippers"  all day long. 

Max's first gift from Santa - wearing Santa jammies

We made Christmas cookies, took a nice long walk, and then enjoyed an easy dinner.  Now the kids are in bed and David is sleeping (read: snoring) next to me on the couch.  I'm praying Cole decides to gift me with a full night's sleep tonight.  Wouldn't that be the perfect Christmas gift?                     

 

Christmas Eve 2013

'Twas the night before Christmas...
We got the boys all dressed up for  the Children's Mass tonight.  We told Max that we were going to Church to celebrate Baby Jesus' birthday.  It probably was not the kind of party he was expecting, but it did help us get him to wear a tie. 

Happy Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

A visit with Santa

We've been slowly introducing Max to the concept of Christmas and have included just a little about Santa Claus.  Today, we decided to take the boys to Santa's cottage in Colorado Springs for Max's first visit with Santa.  I prepped him a little bit about sitting on Santa's lap and that Santa might ask him what he wanted for Christmas. 
When it was our turn to go in, Max walked right up to Santa.  Santa was about to pull Max up onto his knee, when Max stepped just out of arm's reach.  Then he looked right at him and said, "Toys."  He then repeated, "toys, toys, toys" over and over again while staring at Santa.  Santa asked Max what kind of toys he wanted - "a car, a truck, or a train?"  Max just kept repeating, "Toys."  So Max is going to be easy to please this year. 

T minus 2.

'Twas the 3rd Night Before Christmas and all through the house, the kiddos were sleeping, and we  (finally) finished decorating our tree! 

Max adding his first ornament to the tree

Behr Tree 2013

I also made my first batch of Christmas treats.  I've made at least 3 trips to the grocery store in the last 2 days in order to stock up on the ingredients I need to make Christmas cookies.  And, after the kiddos were in bed, and David was asleep on the couch, I whipped up the first batch.  YUM!

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing together.  Max adores Cole.  And Cole thinks Max is hilarious.  I love the love I see between them.  Praying it sticks around for a long while.