Abram - 11 Months

Little buddy... it has been a rough few months.  It seems someone in our family has been sick since Thanksgiving, which is part of the reason I am so behind in my updates.  We have suffered through a round of the stomach flu, standard flu, strep, and croup.   In fact, on December 9 your Daddy and I decided that a trip to the ER was in order.  Your cough sounded much like that of a dog, and even the littlest cough resulted in crocodile tears.  We got to the children's hospital around 9:30 p.m. and waited in line with a kid whose face was swollen nearly shut, a boy in a wheelchair, a boy who was wheeled in on a gearny, and a boy who was bleeding from the head.  All boys.  I get the feeling that we are going to have many, many more trips to the ER.  You were given a steroid and a dose of Tylenol, and were feeling better in a few days.

First Thanksgiving at Aunt Kendra's House

Most of your second cousins.  Missing: Leo, Bo, and Timothy (Eli) III

When you are feeling good you are one happy guy.  You love to be the center of attention, and you are always smiling.  You know your way all around the house.  You crawl at lightening speed and walk your way along the couch.  Every now and then I'll catch you getting ready to take a step, but you still can't land it.  You did take a step and a half on your own on December 12.  Everyone got to see it, so it was really something special.  You get so proud of yourself.  Your entire face smiles when you smile, and you clap your little hands.  Your laugh is so funny.  You have a fake laugh that I really can't describe.  It is a grunty, machine gunny, forced laugh.  But your real laugh is a deep belly laugh that melts my heart.

You have a dream baby schedule.  You wake up a 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., eat breakfast, play, take a nap, eat lunch, play, sometimes take another nap, eat, play, bath, and are begging for sleep by 6:30 p.m.  At bedtime we make you a big 8 ounce bottle, fire up the vaporizer, and rest easy until you wake again the next morning.  I just can't believe how lucky we are to have such an easy going guy!  You are SO DIFFERENT from your sister.

I'd say that went well..

You are so rough.  You love to pull hair and you are SO MEAN about it.  You pull, wait for the scream, laugh, pull harder, laugh, pull even harder, laugh even harder.  You like any toy that involves hitting something with something.  You love to play ball, and I have to say you are really good at it.  You can bounce the ball, roll the ball, wrestle your sister for the ball, etc. 

You and Chloe are playing pretty rough these days.  For some reason you think it is funny so I allow it to happen.  Sometimes I catch her trying to help you walk.  It is hilarious, but also quite scary, so I do not often allow it.  Sometimes when I need to give myself a break I put you in your high chair for a little "baby time out."  It is pretty much the only place I can contain you anymore since you have always refused to sit in a bouncer or exersaucer.  Chloe will play with you by hiding behind the chair and popping up on either side of you.  This makes you laugh and gets her excited.  Eventually, the game turns into her slapping your cheeks, which you - for some reason - think is hilarious.  You two are crazy.  You love to play with her, and when she lets you, you play so well.  The problem is that she gets so annoyed of you and ends up being really mean to you.  I try to play with you instead, but then she gets jealous.  It's a bit of a learning process.

UICA with Dawson.  Wait, this is the amazing Yedi?

You are still wearing size 4 diapers.  You have six teeth.  You have dark blond hair with a rooster tail.  You are long and lean, and I think you'll be built like your Dada.  You wear 12-18 month clothing, but your pants are often falling off.  I think you lost a little weight from all of the sickness.  You are obsessed with fruit, and when we give you vegetables you just chuck them on the floor.  What is this garbage?  You are obessed with going up stairs.  You think it might be a good idea to go down the stairs head first, so your Daddy is working with you to show you otherwise.  He taught your sister to go down the stairs in one day, but you are just so wild and carefree I think it is going to take you a little longer to learn. 

Christmas Tree shopping was freezing and you HATED it.  

 

Chloe, on the other hand, LOVED it.

 

Abram - 10 Months

Chloe is screaming downstairs and I can't focus on your ten month update.  She is obsessed with Mommy.  She is screaming, "I want my MOM!" and your Daddy is saying "Mommy's not here."  I heard her come up stairs so I hid under a blanket.  She walked in here and stared at the blanket.  She was probably 99% sure it was me under there, but what if it wasn't?  She just couldn't risk it.  I just wanted one night, ONE night to write a quick update about you.  Don't get me wrong, I love putting her to bed.  I love reading books.  I love singing.  I love getting a thousand hugs, a million kisses.  I just wanted this rare little window to of time to write a quick update about you, but instead I can only write about her, because it breaks my heart to hear her crying for me. 

Guess what?  You also love your Mommy.  In just one month you went from Daddy's boy to Mama's boy.  Our days of breastfeeding have come to a bittersweet end. You didn't seem to mind at first, but now I sense that you want something more from me - something I can no longer give you.  I wonder if you still associate me with milk, because if you see me you go crazy for me.  You start crying and throwing a fit until I come pick you up.  Sometimes picking you up just isn't enough.  You start leaning over like you want down.  I put you down.  You cry.  You pull at my legs.  I pick you back up.  You want me to hold you every minute, but you are getting so heavy!  Sometimes you snuggle your head between my shoulder and chin.  I lay my head on yours and the world stops.  The moment is over before anyone can even see it, because it is only ours to share. 

You know who else you love?  Your Grammy.  Besides a little girl you just met named Ocean, your Grammy is the only girl you have ever graced with kisses.  You don't even give me kisses.  Your kisses are hilarious: open-mouthed and drooly.  You get so excited when Grammy arrives each Thursday.  You make a beeline for the door, and she can barely put her things down before you are crawling up her legs.  Chloe runs for Grammy's bags and starts rutting through them looking for the Kindle and smoothie.

Your Grandma Bob and Grandpa T have been coming over to watch you on Wednesdays.  Your new daycare was supposed to have room for you two on Wednesdays, but for some reason she wasn't super realistic about that promise, because we have been going for nearly two months, and still no Wednesdays.  It has been really fun for you kids to see your other grandparents, though.  They always bring fresh fruit and candy.  Who doesn't like fresh fruit and candy? 

At ten months you are pulling yourself up on everything.  You are creeping along the furniture.  You know your way around the house.  If I sit you down in the living room and walk to the kitchen, you will follow me.  You love you play with your sister, and you think she is hilarious.  She is starting to get pretty rough with you.  She splashes your face with water in the tub.  Most babies would cry, but you LAUGH.  You are getting pretty good with a sippy cup.  You love to drink water from my cup.  You wear size 4 diapers and eat only table food.  Your favorite food is bananas. I can just give you the whole peeled banana and I swear you devour it in about 20 seconds. 

Your first Halloween was sort of a flop.  We went shopping for costumes about a month prior, and your sister picked a cute pink and blue monster costume.  I ordered you a matching blue monster costume.  We learned that it is better to pick costumes at the last minute, because by the time the first Halloween party came around Chloe wanted to be a cat (you were a dinosaur).  She then changed her mind yet again on the night of Halloween saying she wanted to be Supergirl like last year.  Halloween was freezing cold with light rain.  Terrible weather for kids and babies.  We put you in the body of the monster costume, but you refused to wear the head part, so we used your sock monkey hat instead.  We put you in the Baby Bjorn and did a quick loop around the neighborhood. 

You were kind of ticked about getting your pictures this month.  It is tough to get a good picture of such a fast little guy, but I managed to get a decent one.

Chloe Conversations

I could write an entire blog about the shit Chloe says.  Lately, she has been such a jabber mouth.  You just cannot shut that girl up!  I thought I'd try to jot down the first things she says each morning, because, in a state of half consciousness, I forget our morning conversations about as quickly as a dream.  Before 6:00 a.m. Chloe just reminds me of a little wind up doll.  It's like all night long someone has been slowly, carefully winding the little twisty thing on her back just to the point where it cannot be turned even one more click.  Then BAM!  She is awake.  WIDE AWAKE.  And this morning she says:

Mom.  Mom!  MOM!  There is my pool towel (pronounced something like tow-ya, because she still cannot pronounce her "l's").  My pool tow-ya is on the door.  Yook.  Yook!  YOOK!  *walks over to light switch, turns on light switch*  *wincing, hands shield eyes*  See, yook!  My pool tow-ya!  Mmmhmm. *quickly turns off light*  My tow-ya is blue and gween with stwipes on it.  Oooh. I use my tow-ya when I go swimming.  I go swimming because I a big gir.  Yup.  Yet's go downstairs, Mom.  Mom, get up.  Okay, okay.  *walking downstairs, points to magnet on fridge*  Yook!  That's Charyee Brown.  Yes it is ChHEY!  I can wink!  *blinks*  I can wink, Mom. *blink, blink* Can you wink?  Yes, I can wink.  Can you?  Yes, I already did!!!