Memorial Day

I am doing yet another catch up of some photos from the last few weeks along with photos from Memorial Day weekend.

Harrison is getting so big! At his 4 week appointment he was 10lbs 8oz. He has tons of smiles and giggles and coos. We tested him in his crib last night for the first time (sniff, sniff). He has been sleeping up to 8 or 9 hours in a stretch, so we knew it would be happening sooner rather than later. Last night was just a trial, but he did so well that we are seeing if we have the same luck tonight. He woke up around 5:00am to eat, then he went back and did not get up until I went in and turned on the lights and started putting away laundry at 9:00am!! I think maybe the reason he gets so cranky in the morning is that Drew wakes him and he is still tired.

Drew is doing pretty well with his baby brother. The only thing he says that is negative is just part of his usual "bologna" as I call it. He has started saying "I'm so mad" when he is unhappy. I USED to ask him why he was so mad and he would make something up, then one day he said "at Harrison" and the shock on my face and that "why would you be mad at Harrison?" that followed showed Drew that he could get a reaction from me..so now he says it quite a bit. I have learned not to ask "why" and just respond with "I'm sorry you are mad" or "its silly to be mad at that" or something of that sort. He knows how to sling the "bologna" around when we are trying to correct him. He is constantly responding with "no, no I just....(fill in the excuse)". For example,

Me: "Drew, eat your waffle" (I say to him as he is at the table kicking his feet).

Drew: "No, no Mommy..I just, I just....kicking!"

or

Andy: "Drew, leave the sand inside of the sandbox"

Drew: "No...no, Daddy...I just....I just (can't think of anything)...look at that eagle"

and my favorite

Me: "Drew, get back into bed right now please"

Drew: "Mommy stop screamin' "

Cutie pants: taken 5/14

Drew at Graham's birthday party. He hogged this toy, luckily the other kids didn't mind too much.It was fairly windy out and poor Lindsey finally lights the candle, just to have Drew blow it out!

He was giving such great smiles, then I pull out the camera and couldn't catch one. He still looks pretty darn cute!

Tummy time while Drew is still up...this is dangerous, but at least we didn't throw Lucy into the mix!

"Hey Dad! Take my picture"

Finally calm and ready for bed on Daddy's chestForced to pose with his brother in front of the baby giraffe. Neither look thrilled to be in the photo. Drew was so excited to go on the rides. He talked about them the entire way through the zoo. Then he gets on this ride, sat for a second, and freaked out! A far cry from a year ago on the same ride:

(Aug 2008)

As much as I did not what him to go inside of this yucky looking jumpy, he did enjoy it very much.On Monday morning at 8:00am, we went to the Memorial Day parade in our town. We even walked down the route and went to the service at the cemetery. I was proud that we took part in remembering our soldiers. Hopefully we are starting to teach our kids that it isn't just a long holiday weekend that we get to go to the zoo or cookouts, but rather that the day does have a meaning we should acknowledge. Now we are back to reality this week, and Drews allergies are still going strong:

(he needed a tissue)

I, on the other hand, do not have seasonal allergies. So what is my excuse for looking like crap? Refer to the item in my left arm.But he always makes up for the fussies at the end of the day with some extra cute faces!

Firestation Tour

Today Drew, Harrison and I went to visit their Great Uncle Richard with cousins Jack and Macy. The boys were thrilled to get a private tour and explore all of the vehicles.

Drew climbed from the back of the truck over the console to the drivers seat - by himself, without permission (surprise surprise)

Could these 2 be any happier?...well, yes probably, if their new baby siblings would go back to the place they came from.....who invited these 2 anyway:

How We Roll

The double stroller gives me quite a workout! The stroller with the carseat attached weighs about 40 lbs, there is 40lbs of kids inside of it and another couple of pounds of books, snacks, drinks and cars. Add on the wind resistance while pushing it uphill. I will lose this baby weight and then some if I keep that workout up.

Week in Review

On Monday, Grandma brought Great Grandma and Great Grandpa over for a visit. Drew was quite excited...especially since they brought presents!! Drew was getting a little confused with the "Great" title, so at the lunch table I said "Drew, that is Great Grandma and that is Great Grandma and (pointing to my mother) that is just plain old Grandma" Drew responded "NO Mommy, that not plain Grandma...thats SPECIAL Grandma". He just about knocked my socks off. Not only was that incredibly sweet, but I was shocked that he picked up on my joke and knew how to respond.

Harrison is starting to give little smirks. We have seen a few true smiles, but most of his big smiles and giggles are in his sleep. He was giving me some cute smirks until Drew woke up from his nap and tried to force a toy into his hand:

Drew had a milestone this week. He said his first swear! I was certain that he would pick up his first one from me, but that isn't how it went. We went to the barber on Weds and when we were done and walking down the street (for the visual image, imagine me with Harrison in the Bjorn, Drew with a fresh haircut and looking super cute, sucking on a lollipop, happily walking, almost skipping down the street, on a beautiful 70 degree afternoon) there was some traffic backed up at the intersection and there was a man in a truck with his window open who apparently was upset by another drivers actions and yelled "oh come on you stupid a**holes". Drew didn't miss a beat and pulled the sucker out of his mouth and yelled "stupid a**holes"! My jaw dropped to the ground. I was going to yell something back to the driver like nice mouth, or something very mother hen like, but I figured I better just stay quiet and pretend it never happened. Luckily, he hasn't said it again. I guess I can enjoy the humor in the situation with out the guilt of being the one he was repeating.

On Saturday, I took Harrison with me to do some much needed clothes shopping at the mall. I forgot how easy it used to be to shop with a baby in tow (as opposed to a 2 year old who HATES to shop). But I quickly remembered how much the nursing and diaper changing while out stinks. Nursing wasn't the tough part, it was the 3 consecutive diaper changes and the stream of pee across the restroom that was difficult. While we were out, Dad and Drew made some artwork for the Grandmothers for Mothers Day. I was quite impressed at his use of color.
On Sunday (Mothers Day), after a yummy breakfast, I spent a wonderful day with my boys! Harrison didn't want to cooperate for this picture, but he was a good boy for most of the day.

Look Alikes?

Drew at 10 days

Harrison at 3 weeks

Since We've Been Home

Since we have been home,

We have been looking for things to keep "us" occupied so we don't go outside and catch Swine Flu.

Then, I decided a small case of Swine Flu might be better than cleaning up this!

Drew is a little more into taking pictures and now poses...probably because there is now another subject trying to take the spotlight. Drew has been a wonderful big brother and will often bring Harrison cars to "make you feel better" when crying. Harrison had his first bottle. It went over just fine, because this kid would NEVER turn down food. He now weighs in at 9lbs 9oz....that is a 30 oz gain in 18 days and about 2 times the growth rate of an average baby (so says the Dr.)
Oh yeah, she is still here too. Harrison had his first bath! This one needs baths 2x day! He is also in desperate need of a haircut! The weather has been crazy, but I am not complaining. A few 90 degree days in April kept us busy playing outside with the water table. Just try explaining why the next day when it is 55 in the morning that we can't go outside and play again.

Yup, still cute!

Drew loves to get super close to Harrison and ask "Harrison...whatcudoin?" (What are you doing)

Drew was napping and someone wanted to test out the chair. Being a second child myself, I condone this behavior.

We fit in a little tummy time when big brother is in bed..looking good so far!

I am having trouble finding the time to blog because someone wants to either eat or be held constantly! He is a pretty good baby, but he does have a pretty bad case of reflux that can really make for some grumpy periods. He is sleeping pretty well at night and we have enjoyed a few 5 hour stretches of sleep. Drew is doing really well with his baby brother. He is always concerned when he cries and is very gentle with him. His behavior is up and down, but I think he is starting to snap out of it.

I am still taking lots of pictures, and I promise I will share them eventually...just keep checking.

We're Home!

We have been home since Wednesday afternoon and things are going pretty smooth. Drew has been adjusting well even though we weren't too sure how he would be when he told Harrison to "go back in Mommy's belly" while he was visiting us at the hospital. I truly believe that the only reason he said that was because he needs to have everything in its place. He has been so loving to his baby brother and we couldn't be more proud of our 'big boy'.

Harrison has been to a lot of the usual places in his first few days of life. The weather has been beautiful, so we all took a walk on Thursday afternoon. On Friday he came along with us to the playground and then after his doctors appointment, he joined me at Roche Bros. I am a little less nervous of germs this time around, mainly because I have my own little germ factory right here at home...however, that doesn't mean that I appreciate the old ladies at the grocery store sticking their heads into his seat.

Our pediatrician appointment went very well. Harrison is just about back to his birth weight. He really didn't loose much in the first place. He was 7lbs 4oz when we left the hospital and that is a loss of less than 10% of his total weight.

We are really enjoying the family time at home. Andy and I could both use a little more sleep, but we are actually doing alright. Maybe we are still running on adrenaline, but I think it is much easier to cope with a lack of sleep the second time around.

We are so happy to finally be home as a family of four!

Beautiful flowers from Grandma: