Two years old!!!

Bryson turned two on Sunday. We had the Blickenstaffs over for dinner and cake. Bryson got a bunch of Thomas stuff and a mega blocks garage set up with a bunch of trucks(thanks vincent!)It was hard to get him to open all his gifts because he just wanted to play with everything. I made him a Henry (from Thomas the train) cake and he seemed to like it. I put his Thomas sheets on his big boy bed, but I still can't seem to get him to sleep in it. We went to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago and Bryson picked out his own pumpkin. He helped me carve and decorate the pumpkins and runs outside to see them everyday. Kyle is doing great he is almost rolling over now and can hold his head up when he's on his tummy. He likes to watch Bryson play and he laughs at him often. Our insurance issue is being appealed and it sounds like there's a good chance they will pay our hospital bill, so that is a great relief. We are getting excited for our trip home, now I need to get packing!

October already!

Mara and John were here for a visit recently. We went to the zoo for a day and Bryson got to ride the train again. Mara and John bought him some more Thomas trains and some track. He won't stop talking about Henry (one of the trains). It's the first thing he plays with in the morning when he gets up. His new favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham he calls it 'ham'. He really seems to like the Dr. Seuss books. He's been a little crabby lately cuz he's getting his upper canine teeth in. (He's getting up pretty much every night crying)He got sick yesterday morning and vomitted a bunch of times, I was worried he might have the flu and we all were gonna get it, but it must have been something he ate cuz he was fine by the afternoon. He loves to go for walks and doesn't want to ride in the BOB anymore. It's making it a little more difficult for me to get exercise cuz he goes so slow. We're down to his last nuk! I'm hoping we won't have to buy anymore, but I'm thinking we made need a couple just in case for our trip to WI.

Kyle is doing great, he's getting bigger all the time! He's a real happy baby and smiles and coos alot. He is so happy in the mornings! It makes it easier to get up because he is so cute. He has had a few big out loud laughs now, but it's mostly just giggles and stuff. He has his first cold (his nose is a little stuffy)but seems to be handling it very well. He is able to roll onto his side now but can't quite make it all the way over. He is grabbing at toys and tries to sit up when he's in his bouncer chair.

I got some bad news yesterday, our insurance company is refusing to pay for Kyle's hospital stay (we didn't precertify it??). what good is it to have insurance if they can find ways to get out of paying for your bills! I sure hope something can be done in this country about health care, because it is a ridiculous mess! We're going through an appeals process now so keep your fingers crossed. If this doesn't work we're gonna be bankrupt (three weeks in the NICU is expensive!)

Happy Birthday Mara!

Beach and zoo

We went to the zoo last friday and Bryson had a great time. He rode the train for the first time. He enjoyed watching the baby elephant play in the water with his mother and started crying when we were leaving the exhibit. He also liked the aquarium with the big fish and the sea lion exhibit. He made friends with a couple little girls. He would walk up to them and start laughing to get their attention. He sure enjoys being around other kids.

We went to the beach for the weekend and he loved playing in the sand. He didn't want to play with me or ken though, I brought all his sand toys, but he only wanted to play with other kids stuff.(see video) He just kept moving down the beach, he never even looked back to see if we were watching him and he cried when we brought him back and refused to play with us.

Bryson is talking more and is more articulate with his words. He is still obsessed with Thomas and we've been getting new videos from the library every couple weeks. His favorite toys are his trains, cars and trucks. He requested to sleep in his big boy bed last night (he usually wants to be in the crib) and I think he didn't know where he was when he got up (too early 5:30!)because he was crying.

Kyle is growing fast, he's already to big for some of his 0-3 month clothes and I just got them out a couple weeks ago! He weighs about 12 lbs now and is in the 2% on the normal growth curve. He had his 4 month check up last week and he is developing on schedule and is even ahead (for his corrected age-2 months) with some things. He is smiling alot and has laughed a few times. He loves to look at himself in the mirror and is getting much better at lifting his head during tummy time. He likes to sit in his bouncer chair now, so I don't have to always rely on the swing. He likes to look at his toys and he swings at them with his arms. He's really getting cute now that he is so smiley, it is so sweet!

Before




After






Well, Ken has nearly completed the house painting. He just has a few touch ups to do and to put the gutters back on. I am very happy with how it turned out. We got Bryson a big boy bed. It also turns into bunk beds so we'll be able to use it later too. So far he's only napped in it once. I don't think he's ready for it just yet, but we have a month or two before Kyle will grow out of the cradle. Kyle is doing great, he smiles alot and you can tell he is looking at you. He has also started cooing. He weighs about 10 lbs now. Bryson likes to ride his bikes, read books (the same ones over and over and over....) and watch his Thomas the Train movie. He loves the swings at the park. We bought plane tickets to go home the end of October, it'll be great to see everyone again. Check out the new video on drop shots......

Hot summer!

Well, we've had some real hot days this summer and more to come (100's next week). Bryson and I have been spending some time at the fountain by the school to keep cool. He's still a little afraid of the water, I don't think he likes to get his face wet.

Ken and Sheila have been working hard getting our house painted. I think it looks great, I'll post some pics when they they finish (hopefully this weekend.) Kyle is getting much better head control and really looks around at his environment. His doesn't like to sit in is bouncer chair, but his likes his activity mat on the floor. Bryson likes it too, he points to the mat when he wants me to put Kyle on it. I have to watch him real close though, he can get too rough with him.

Bryson loves his Thomas the Train video. Every morning he wakes up and points to the TV and says 'train". He wants me to sing him songs when I feed the baby (he waves his arm up and down) and will only let me sing the Thomas songs, he cries when I sing anything else.

My garden is doing well. I posted a picture of a crazy carrot from my garden. It looks like a man running, he even has a penis!

Happy 4th!

Bryson and I had a little 4th of July parade down our street. We decorated his wagon and waved flags. Of course Bryson didn't want to ride in the wagon, he wanted to walk! It was a very hot weekend (90's), so we sat in the creek one afternoon to stay cool. Bryson had a great time, it was a good thing he had a life vest on, cuz he was being a little dare-devil. He's starting to enjoy the water more.

Kyle is two months old now! He had his checkup with the doctor yesterday and he is right on track with his growth, but his lab results for his growth panel were abnormal. So, I'm waiting to hear from the nutritionist, he may need to go back on some fortified milk because he's not getting enough vitamins and minerals from my breast milk. She also found a hernia below his bellybutton which is pretty common I guess.