Brotha from the same motha

We came across some old photos of Justin and his older brother Casey. I just love these pictures of them growing up in Kentucky. Nolan and Campbell are the same exact age difference as Justin and Casey. Justin was really excited when we found out Campbell was a boy. He was so hopeful that the boys get to experience having a brother so close in age and playing and growing up together like he did. I can't wait to have these same precious moments with my boys.

Baby Mine

Ok, I got it on video! I finally got Nolan singing his favorite song Baby Mine. How precious is he when he sings "you're so precious to me, sweet as can be?" Oh, I just want to video every minute of this stage. I know it's only a matter of time before he's too cool to have me sing to him at night or kiss him in front of his friends. That is the day I'll cry! I don't care what he says, I WILL kiss him and hug him - I don't care how much I embarrass him! The link kept messing up when I posted it on the blog so here it is on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHxCijJMzAI

Bath time

There is just something about a clean baby/kid fresh out of the tub that just makes me want to snuggle them to pieces! Both boys have always loved bath time. I don't so much love the work involved but I do love how much they love it. If Campbell's fussy, just slap him in the tub. Works every time like a charm! Here are some of my recent favorites of bath time.

Artistic Prodigy

Yes he did it again. Nolan's artistic talent blows us away constantly. Tonight he drew on his easel that he got from Santa. I was just excited that he was actually using it since he's only drawn on it a handful of times since he got it. He started out telling me that he was going to draw Charlie Brown. He's loved drawing him since he was two and I guess he has a real life model to use to draw him. We lovingly refer to Campbell as Charlie Brown with his precious round face.


So I was busy on the computer and next thing I knew he drew this little caricature with his name at the bottom. Pretty impressive for a 3 year old, huh?

He definitely gets his artistic genes from his daddy. I guess these little artists start at a little age. Here's Justin with his early beginnings.

Say Ma-ma!

Guess who said their first word? It's got to be mama, right? I mean I carried him for almost 40 weeks, went through labor, delivered him and nursed him all hours of the night for half a year. I better be the first word for goodness sakes! Ummm, guess again! Da-da wins! I tell Justin not to get too big of a head now that both boys' first words have been "Da-da." I tell him that it's proven by speech pathologists that "da" is much easier to say than "ma." That doesn't seem to stop him from gloating. Although I must admit if tables were turned I would be bragging non-stop. Campbell's teachers told me that he's said "ma-ma" twice now but I think they just feel sorry for me because I have yet to hear it! Well I just need to look at it this way. If Campbell wakes up during the middle of the night and says "Da-da" then I'll just have to gracefully bow down because he is definitely calling for his daddy. So I may be a little crushed but maybe I'll get a little more sleep out of this deal!

Law and Order

A few weeks back, Justin got a jury summons. He hasn't been called since he's lived in TX so I'm amazed that he's gotten out of it this long. I told him how it wouldn't be so bad and that when I was summoned I was out of there by 11:00 a.m. Well he reports and they tell him to come back the next day because they knew they weren't going to get to his case. So he shows the next day and waits around until 1:30 before the lawyers are even ready for the case.

He calls me at 3:45 and tells me that they're not even half way through questioning people for the jury. I encourage him to act like he has an imaginary friend and answer questions with crazy answers. He assures me that he's trying. :) At 6:45 he's finally been released and guess who calls and tells me he got selected. Oh and the trial is supposed to last at least 4 weeks. Thankfully his boss was extremely understanding and knew that it was out of his control.

Now we're two weeks into the trial. It's been hard for him to get the boys to school and then downtown on time but he's doing it. I must say that it sure is nice to have him home by 5:00 though.

Dreams

When Nolan got promoted to a big boy bed when I was pregnant with Campbell, we were a little concerned about him getting out of the bed and roaming the house during the middle of the night or the crack of dawn. So we made a really big deal about how he can't get out of bed unless mommy and daddy come up to his room (or of course to go potty). So for a long time, we would hear him yelling, "I HAD GOOD DREAMS MOMMMY!" when he was really to get up...so precious.

He doesn't do that as much now but we always ask him about his dreams in the morning since he's prone to have some pretty nasty nightmares. This morning I asked him if he had good dreams and he responds, "I told Daddy that I didn't have any dreams last night!" I said, "Really? I wonder where they went." He responds (without pause), "They went to someone else's house." Where does he get this stuff?

Only so much I can take!

Well we finally broke down and did it...we got new floors for the living room. I have been wanting hardwoods/laminate for years but we always found something that got in the way. Usually it is the enormous daycare bill to put a big fat damper on that happening. Can I just tell you how hard it is to write that check every month? GULP. Picture me in about 5 years when both boys are in school with no daycare bill. I will be doing a dance in the street that might involve a margarita and loud shouting. But after almost 6 years in this house, I couldn't handle it anymore. I'm not sure if it was the baby spit up remnants or the dog deposits that sent me over the edge...probably a culmination of it all.

So we saved and they're in. It's amazing how a new floor makes you feel like you're in a new house! Nolan thinks it's the coolest thing ever and uses it to his advantage to gain speed for his cars. Campbell, however, not a big fan. Well, at least when it's cold and he doesn't have on any pants. See below. Time for a rug?!?

The McMartins

We had our friends Anna and Steve Martin over on Sunday to catch up and let our boys play. Nolan and their oldest, Owen, are 10 months apart and Campbell and their second, Ben, are 2.5 months apart. I foresee lots of camping trips in our future together or maybe just sending the guys for a trip so Anna and I can get some girly time in a house full of boys!

Tickle Fight!

Today was such a great day. Both boys were in their best moods and we even got out and got some errands done. Days like today make me wish that neither Justin nor I had to work and we could just be at home all day with the boys.

Nolan just loves it when Campbell smiles or giggles and he'll do just about anything to get him to laugh or smile. This is a great bonus particularly when Campbell is fussy. I'll hear him say "It's OK Campbell, Mommy will be right back" or he'll try and tickle him. Poor Cam's tummy was probably a little tender after all these tickles!

You forgot

Nolan has a steel trap memory. Months after almost being in a horrible wreck and seeing an SUV roll two times, Nolan would still bring it up and to this day knows exactly where it happened when we pass the same spot. So it's not shocking that he is an All-star memory match game player. It's unusual for him to lose. He will always let the other person go first. I think it's because he knows their fate and feels sorry for them. Usually, I'll say, "WOW, you beat me Nolan! Good job!" And he'll reply, "Yea, I 'bit' you."

Well apparently, Justin was on a roll the other day and actually beat him (it's that male competitive spirit coming out in him...even with a 3 year old as the competitor). And Nolan says, "Hey you forgot to let me win." I think he thinks that we've been letting him win...but he's really been beating us!

Nolie Nightmares

Nolan has been known to have some pretty bad nightmares. This week he had one and was crying hysterically so Justin went upstairs to calm him down. He stumbles in the room and asks him "What's the matter, buddy?" And Nolan through his tears is choking up as he says, "The problem is (sniff sniff)...I need a hug!" Justin gives him a hug and just like that, his nightmare was all fixed.

Keep it comin'

Campbell is really funny to watch when you're feeding him something he really likes to eat. You can't keep it coming fast enough and he decided to help out. He does a similar thing when I'm feeding him his bottle. If he make eye contact with that bottle, he is grabbing and sticking it in his mouth as fast as possible. Right now, his record is 8 oz in 3 minutes. I'd like to see how he does in a hot eating contest when he grows up.

Don't forget the Lyrics

I would be a pretty bad contestant on this TV show...especially if it came to nursery rhymes. I'm terrible! I know like every other word or replace words with incorrect ones...it's quite humorous. One day when my best friend Angi and her husband were over I was telling them this exact story. Later that night, Nolan was singing a song and I started singing with him "Where is Bumpkin" instead of "Where is Thumpkin"...case in point.

Last night, I had single parent duty and was putting Nolan to bed. He loves Dumbo right now and loves a really sweet song that Bette Midler sings called "Baby Mine". Justin knows every word and sings it to him every night. So he asked me to sing it since Dad was at a church meeting. I tried to tell him it's going to be bad because I don't know the words. He convinces me that I know it. My kids are the only people that I feel comfortable enough to sing around...I know they don't mind my tone deafness. So I sing the first line and hum the next line and switch off and on between humming and words. I think he felt sorry for me.

Nolan: Don't worry mommy you will learn it when you grow up and get bigger.

Me: Oh yeah, well how do I get bigger?

Nolan: You eat broccoli

Me: (laughing hysterically)

I guess that's better than another time when I sang it and he said "No mommy, go get Daddy."

Brotherly love

I must say that it's been great having two boys so close in age. I might regret saying those words in about two years, but for now they really seem to like each other. Campbell just cracks up at Nolan all the time and Nolan just loves to hear him giggle so he'll tickle him. In fact, it's almost impossible to give Campbell a bottle with Nolan in the room because he's way more interested in him than taking his bottle. Nolan has taken his big brother role to heart and talks about all the things he's going to teach Campbell. He said he's going to teach him how to whistle and to ride a bike. I think he'll teach him right after HE actually learns how to do those things himself! I just love how he'll hear Campbell fussing and say that he's going to go check on him and is constantly on paci patrol. Sometimes, he even gives parenting pointers and tells me that Campbell wants to sit in my lap or hold me. Sometimes, he's actually right!

Nolan supervising bath time. It's just a matter of time before they're sharing bath time and there's more water on the floor than in the tub.

The boys playing with Daddy

This picture makes me laugh and cry at the same time. I just love how Nolan wants to play with Cam so bad but get so sad to see how big Nolan is and that play gym used to be his!

New Bike

Santa brought Nolan his red bike that he asked for and so we've had fun taking him out for rides. It's a lot of work teaching a kid to ride a bike. Partly because my thighs are quivering and my back is aching (yes, I know that it's sad) and partly because it's hard to explain how to do it. We skipped the tricycle phase so it was really like starting from scratch. Gram and Pop had a tricycle in Kentucky so he practiced around the house and it really seemed to help. Now he can actually peddle AND steer!

Before Santa brought his bike Nolan saw his friend Hank riding his red bike out the window one day and he said very matter-of-factly, "That is the bike I'm going to get." At that point, I had failed to ask him what color he wanted, thank goodness he said red because that's what Santa brought!

I can't help but think of my all-time favorite skit on Saturday Night Live when Nolan has on his helmet. Let's pay tribute to Hyper Hypo.

That was embarrassing

Today was Campbell's 6 month check up. Justin went with me since we're both off work. We talked to the doctor about Campbell's wheezing and coughing that's been going on for a month now. We found out that we're at the beginning of another ear infection. Seriously, will it ever stop?

So I asked our doctor about this spot on Campbell's arm and if was a birth mark. I told her how it suddenly appeared and I scrubbed on it during bath time but it won't come off. She looked at it and said she had never seen a birth mark look like that. So she went and got an alcohol swab and guess what...this so-called birth mark was DIRT! It was left over from our ER visit last week when they drew his blood and left band-aid gunk. Another mom-of-the-year moment to add to my long list. She made me feel better by telling me that she had one mom come in scared about a red spot that suddenly appeared on her daughter's head and she kept putting Vaseline on it. Same story...our doctor used her infamous alcohol swab and turns out it was just a Slurpie splatter. Well at least there's another mom out there like me!

This has been a really busy month for Campbell. He's sitting up on his own, drinking his own bottles, he's a champ at baby food now and hasn't had one food that he's turned down yet, and he's sleeping on his tummy now at night.

6 month stats:
Weight: 18 lbs 9 oz. (60th percentile)
Height: 26 1/4 in. (50th percentile)
Head: 44.5 cm (50th percentile)

Nutcracker impersonation

Ever since last year, Nolan has been terrified of nutcrackers. We have an oversized one that we put by our hearth. Last year it freaked him out so much we had to put the nutcracker in "timeout" and make it face the wall. This year we decided to not even bring it out. I mean, they are kind of scary if you look at them through toddler eyes. I have other nutcrackers that I put on the mantle and it took a few days for Nolan to get comfortable with them. Now he seems to really enjoy our little collection and even does impersonations!

Christmas in Kentucky

What a fun Christmas. Minus the dog running away, Campbell spending his first Christmas going to the ER, and our flight being canceled, it really was a lot of fun! HA! We got lots of great family time and since we got two extra days, we got to fit in some of the things we didn't have time for earlier in our visit. I think Gram and Pop are relaxing in their quiet house right now after two rowdy boys.

Nolan just adored his cousins and had such a great time giggling and laughing. Nolan is at the perfect stage for Christmas. The smallest things get him so excited. One strand of lights on a shrub looking at Christmas lights is all it took to get him in the Christmas spirit. Now that Santa isn't coming for another year, we're going to have to get creative for using something for leverage. All in all, the boys traveled great and it will definitely be a Christmas to remember!