A new year...

I have been horrible about keeping up on the blog. I just don't know what to write anymore.. We really lead a very mundane/normal/everyday life. Who wants to read that!?!? But here goes a little update...

I picked up a new little hobby...Cookie decorating. A friend posted pictures of halloween cookies that looked fabulous and after asking her how she did it, I tried Christmas cookies. And LOVED it! Here are a few samples:

The kids had a good Christmas. Charles was super excited.  I had many conversations with him about waht he wanted rfom Santa and it was always a 'present'. Didn't seem to matter what was in the present!  Blake didn't quite get it, but he sure did enjoy unwrapping presents! Even some that were not his own! 

Here is a pic of Chasrles on Christmas morning. Love this one of him!

And here is Blake being silly! I love this crooked/devilish grin of his!  And boy is he a determined little kid!  NOTHING is safe in our house anymore.  He moves the dining room chairs around to get what he wants.  Anfd don't try to stop him, he gets MAD!!  He does really good htough if I or W play with him in the toy room.  He needa  lot of redirection if we are not focused on him.

W is super excited that we have finally started his man-cave in the basement!  He won some of his fantasy leagues during football and is finally able to throw some walls up.  We have framing and the start of some rooms. I think it is going to be great when its done! There will be one large living room, two bedrooms, a large office/project room and a full bathroom.  We might just start living down there! 

Merry Christmas!

Photo Card

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My poor poor baby...

He is riddled with second baby syndrome!!  Poor thing had a birthday over TWO weeks ago and I STILL haven't posted about it!!! 

So yes..my sweet little Blakey turned 1!!!!!  We had a small but very HOT party for him on his actual birthday on Sunday July 1.  I sadly didn't take too many pictures...but he had a good time playing in the baby pools we had set up.  He didn't want his cake though and started reaching to get out just about as soon as I put it front of him.   I did a construction theme for him which turned out really cute!  As part of the theme I put "Dirt Cake" (pudding and crushed graham crackers) in a dump truck.  So cute!   We were also pleasantly surprised by the attendance of an old but great friend of mine and her little girls.  They seemed to have a lot of fun too.  It was great to catch up with her and meet her babies.

So what is he up to now!?!? Oh my oh my he is so so naughty!! He is into everything!! And I do mean EVERYTHING!!  He is walking like a pro and just about running.  He likes to be chased and puts his arms straight in front of himself when he runs away..hilarious!  He has a love for the garbage can and his dirty diapers (don't ask, I don't know!).  He also likes to put anything he can in his mouth.  He knows he is not supposed to as he will show me he has something in his mouth and then giggle and run away!!  So hard not to laugh at him!  He loves his brother and also loves tormenting him...he will take something of Charles', giggle, and run away!  Charles' falls for it every.single.time!  Sadly, he still gets up 1-2x a night.  The last couple nights I have thrown a bottle of water in his crib to see if all he wants is a drink, but he still gets up. Maybe one day he will sleep through the night.

He had his 1yr appointment ans is weighing in at 23lbs 6 oz and 30 in.  Compared to Charles, they are identical in height and weight at 1 year!

I will try to add some pictures tonight if I can get on the computer!

Goal #1: ACHIEVED!!!

Not sure how I did it (you know, because I LOOOOVVVEEE food) but as of today I am calling it official that I have met my #1 weight loss goal!!  I am not going to tell you my weight but I will tell you that I have lost 12.3lbs since January 20.  I have changed my eating habits and trained for and ran a half marathon in that time, but I don't think it was enough to warrant a 12lb weight loss...I think this new medication I am on (for a different issue) is contributing as much of the loss occurred after I started taking it. I am not complaining AT ALL!!  I am hoping to lose another 5lbs but am happy where I am at now.

In other news...Charles has for some reason decided that he HATES baths now.  He used to love them and would stay in there for an hour if we let him, but now...He is screaming at the mere mention of having to take a bath. And I mean all out melt down, uncontrollable sobbing complete with snot, a red face and saying he would rather go to bed.  I can think of a few contributing factors: 1)  He doesn't like to involuntarily share space with his brother (sad, I know), and well, Blake doesn't like to sit still.  So to be confined to the bath tub where he cant get away is traumatizing to him.  2) He detests having water in his face and each time we wash and rinse his hair, he gets water in his face.  I have tried to have him "Look at the sky"  but he puts his head down as soon as I start to put water on his head.   It wasn't always so bad. It started out as just crying during hair washing and progressed to what it is now over the last week.  We are going to try some things to see if we can get him back on track...separate baths, more "looking at the sky", letting him do it himself, and more importantly talking to him about why the bath is scary.  He doesn't have a good answer to that (I mean, he is only 3!) and if you suggest something like Blake or an owie, he will agree and make up some story that I don't understand. 

W went away for the weekend last week...It was just me and the boys for FOUR full days. Yes, I know what you are thinking...I am their mother, people do it all the time, its not a big deal. I know this.  But it's not MY routine and well Blake is high maintenance.  But we survived!  It was actually really great.  We had one night of awfulness (see aforementioned bath trauma) but otherwise I think we did ok.  The boys survived and were both very happy to see their Dad.  Charles was even more ecstatic because the iPad came back! Ha!!  W took it with him on the trip to watch movies, listen to music, etc.  C asked for it multiple times and was very sad each time i told him that Daddy had it.  Soo funny!

Blake..well he is Blake!  He (in the most loving mom voice ever) is my punk baby.  He wants what he wants and there is no diverting his attention or making him do something else (see aforementioned bath issue).  W had to sit on one of floor vents yesterday to keep him from messing with it and he cried the whole time. So sad that he couldn't get it.  He is such a momma's boy...I can't so much as walk out of the room without having him scream.  Yesterday he actually got up before I left for work and was in the family room with W when I came out to make my lunch and leave.  He got mad that I didn't pick him up right away and then when I did he wouldn't let me put him back down so I took him in the kitchen with me...but then when I actually had to leave, meltdown city with the cry that just breaks your heart. I am sure he was fine within 2 minutes of me leaving but it tugs my heart strings every.single.time.  He is starting to walk now too!! It's sooo cute. He lets go of the couch more and takes more steps each day.  He is way ahead of his brother on that! C didn't walk until 17 months and had zero interest in it.  And he has 6 teeth now...two more popped in this week.  Blake has also decided that he doesn't like baby food anymore.  He wants to eat big people food or at least be able to feed himself.  Its a struggle to get enough into him.  We still get up multiple times a night most nights....I can't even say its getting better because it is different every night. And most nights bedtime is a nightmare.  Wow that's a lot of complaints! I love that kid and when he is not being stubborn he cracks me up!  He is always smiling and I have found his ticklish spot and his giggles are the cutest things ever!

Shooting myself in the foot

Yikes! How did it get to be the end of April already!?!?!?  This year is already going by way way to fast....in a mere two months we will be celebrating our baby's FIRST birthday! Oh my...I just want to keep him little.

I am hoping I didn't shoot myself in the foot..This past Wednesday I had a fairly large cyst removed from my lower back.  I didn't think it would be a big deal as it was done under local anesthesia and usually surgeons are able to make smaller incisions than you think they do.  BUT mine is bigger than I thought it would be ...close to two inches long.  And it is right at my waistband.  As in every.single.pair  of pants hit it.  Despite being covered with a band aid, it is still getting irritated. So I haven't run  since Tuesday night.  Which in the grand scheme of things probably wouldn't be so bad..except this past weekend was our longest run for training, 11 miles.  AND I skipped the week prior (don't ask, I have no good reason).  Not a smart move.  I am going to try to run tonight for a few miles, but race day is less than 2 weeks away so no more real long training runs.  I keep telling myself that this is an endurance run (all trails vs street running) so I don't need to worry about time, but I am still slightly nervous.

Blake is STILL getting up 1-2 times per night.  Ugh. I am not sure what we are doing wrong here!  And he is eating more during the day.  In fact yesterday I know he had two good meals outside of his bottles because I fed him.  He is definitely getting better with that too.  Although he is ready for big people food.  Last weekend we went to DQ and I gave him Charles' grilled cheese since he wasn't eating it and boy was Blake in heaven!  He gnawed on that thing forever and even got a few bits with no signs of choking.  I then gave him a bite of garlic bread during the week and he loved that too.  I have tried some of the third stage food jars and he liked the spaghetti that had chunks, but another one he didn't I think it depends on the size of the chunks.   He also likes munching on puffs and the Gerber crunchy sticks.  I am trying frozen vegetables steamed really soft and he isn't a big fan just yet. 

Charles is doing great!! He has taken ownership of my iPad.  And will yell that it is "Charles' turn!" if I go anywhere near him (he thinks I am going to take it...rightfully so!).  And when I say it's Mommy's i Pad he says No, it's Charles' iPad.  Stinker.  He does have his own games, but I tend to find him in mine or W's and with things messed with.  Like random requests sent to random people for Drawsomething. Hmph.   He also has this thing where he (with W's help of course) has 'ranked' each family member.  W is #1, he is #2 (because he was 2years old at the time this started), I am #3 and Blake is #4.  And he .does.not.waiver. Ever.  I keep trying to convince him that I am #1 to no avail.  He will slip up every know and then but in the next sentence he corrects saying Daddy is #1. And he laughs at me when I try to tell him that I am #1..  It's cute.

W is going to Vegas in two weeks for a bachelor party..I will be home with the kids by myself for 3 whole days!  Should be interesting..I haven't been alone with them for more than a day.  Of course I can handle it...but it will be interesting.

Sleep training, Weight loss and Running

Progress...Progress...Progress!!!

Sleep training- Had to do it.  Little Mister has been waking up 4-5 times a night.  Sometimes just to cry, but others he wants to eat. And W would feed him each and every time, because, well, that was the easy route.  Give him a bottle and he would go right back to bed.  Except... then he started not eating so much during the day so we ended up in a nasty cycle of little food during the day (3-4 ozs 4x a day, plus two solid meals) and lots of eating (upwards of 20ox) at night! One night he took 8ox before going to bed and then was up again a mere 2 hours later.  Ugh. There is no way he could have been hungry so I walked with him, rocked him, etc until he went back to sleep.  And since then we have been gradually working on less food at night and he is starting to eat more during the day. Last night..up only ONE time!!! Although he did guzzle a 6oz bottle!  And even better, he put himself to sleep! He was overly tired, I had fed him and was trying to get him to sleep but he was fighting me. I finally had to just put him down.  I walked out of the room to him screaming :( went to the bathroom, put on my pjs, went and checked on Charles...and QUIET.  Didn't hear another peep until 2:30. I even had the monitor on in the bedroom which I don't normally do (W takes care of night wakings until he goes to bed so that I can get some sleep so the monitor stays off until he comes to bed). I was surprised that I didn't hear any restless-ness or whines come from him at all. I am hoping that means he is sleeping more soundly and getting good sleep.

Weight loss- Since I started tracking my weight on Jan. 20, I am down 8.4lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am 4 lbs away from my goal as of this morning...9 more to my 'ideal' goal.   Not sure what happened, but the last couple weeks it just started melting off.  I am now down to weighing less than I did when I got pregnant with Charles (even if it is only 1 lb less!).  Clothes are starting to fit better and I am feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I am loving it!! And I am still eating plenty...don't get me started on how many times I had McD's last week...and an unplanned trip to Chipotle (w chips). Yum!

Running-  I am truly amazed at the progress I have made in 7 short weeks. I am certain it is all due to the speed work and hills that we run on Tuesdays.  I was just telling the ladies that I run with last night how thevery first night I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to keep up.  We started with one lap around a small block and I wasn't sure how I was going to do 3 more miles that night...or 4 that coming Saturday.  I was struggling maintaining a 10 minute pace.  But I stuck with it.  Nearly two weeks ago I went out for a run on the path after work (alone) and as I started running and watching my pace, I realized I was pacing at about 9:15 per mile. In my head I thought there is no way I can sustain this, I need to slow down.  My first mile was something like 9:11.  Again..slow down. But I didn't.  This particular stretch of bike path is a 1 and 3/8 mile loop near my house. I did 3 laps that day and timed the laps (instead of miles) and each one was faster. I couldn't believe it!!  Monday night I went out and ran and paced at about 8:45.  Amazing!  I ran a 5k this past weekend and while it wasn't a PR it was better than my time two years ago for the same race.  And that was after a year of running!  I have only been back at it for 3 months!  So needless to say I am extremely happy with my progress.  I can even see it in my legs. They are thinning out a bit and looking more muscular.


An update on the boys...both went to the ped this past week for regular checkups.  Blake weighed 21 lbs 6 oz and was 29 in.  Compared to Charles at 9 mos was 22lbs and 29in.  Charles was 40.5in and 32.8lbs and impressed the Dr with his spelling, shape knowledge, numbers, etc. So smart that kid is!

In the blink of an eye..

He's THREE!! Yep, my little (big) boy is turning three tomorrow! I won't be home (sad, I know) so I am posting today...

We celebrated this past Sunday with our family. It was a great party! It was nice outside so all the kids went out to play..probably the highlight for Charles as he LOVES being outside!

Here he is opening some presents. Most of his gifts were in gift bags instead of wrapped and he didn't know what to do with that...it was sooo funny! He would pull out a piece of tissue paper and then rip it to shreds instead of looking in the bag for his gift! He made out pretty good...and our family fed into his letter addiction with alphabet toys and such. He also got a few more MobiGo games and has been playing non stop since Sunday night! (yay, I get my iPad back!)


Here he is being shy when we were singing Happy Birthday (just like his momma..I can still remember the time I went out to dinner on my birthday and my friend told the waitress it was my birthday. I turned so red..my friends thought it was funny!)

And here he is with the cake he helped me make:

I didn't get a good picture, but it is green and blue on the inside. I went with a (minimal) Super Why theme so everything was green and blue for Whyatt. I put cut out pictures of the characters on scrapbook paper and hung them on the walls and we had green and blue balloons/plates/forks etc. The red latter 'C' is supposed to replicate the letters in the stories that go in the 'Super duper computer'.

He loved it!!

And here with momma...not looking of course!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy! You bring us amazement, laughs and joy every single day and I couldn't be more proud to be your mama!!