Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Carter says

One night as we were reading a bedtime story, Carter mentioned that Coen was "brown" and he was "yellow" like mommy and daddy. "Ok," I said. "What color do you think this baby will be?" and I pointed to my belly.

"Hmm... Brown like Coen. No, blue! or RED! Yeah, RED! We don't have a red person yet!!"

I wish I could have video taped the excitement he had at the thought of having a red family member.

It cracks me up to see how his little mind works. On one hand, he sees that Coen is a different color. On the other, he will point to a light skinned person with red curly hair and say that the person looks like Coen. When I ask why, he tells me because they have curly hair. I love seeing life through their eyes.

The big 3-0

We just got back from a fun-filled weekend at Detroit Lake which is where we tend to spend Chris' birthday each year. This year was even more special since he turned 30! We spent quite a bit of time this weekend marveling at the past ten years. When we met, neither of us could legally drink a beer and now here we are, each 30 and expecting our third son. This life is amazing and I couldn't imagine going through it without him. Happy Birthday to truly, my better half. 

At Detroit, we enjoyed Papa's new pontoon boat and Coen's first time ever on a boat. He took to it just like a fish! The water was absolutely freezing, but Coen couldn't get enough of kicking his feet in it off the side of the boat. We all agreed that he would jump right in if we let him. He also LOVED his life jacket. This kid has a thing for buckles. If this weekend was any indication, this summer is going to be awesome!



After a couple nights at Detroit, we turned Chris' 30th into a good reason for a mini-Babymoon before #3 arrives. The boys stayed at the lake with Papa and Grandma and we drove the short hour to Sisters, Oregon and stayed at Five Pines Resort. Love, love, love this place! They have their own cute little movie house, brewery, spa and athletic club and, when the weather is nice, they have his and hers bicycle cruisers that you can take out for a ride. Of course we didn't get to partake in everything they had to offer with such a short trip, but our private cabin was cozy and luxurious and just what we needed! Getting to see a movie at a theatre was also a treat :)

Fun extended weekend all around! 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

My new big boy

Coen started sleeping in his big boy bed this past week (photos to come) so of course, I had to do a bit of redecorating to make the bed work where the crib was and the dresser/changing table was moved to the nursery, etc... Anyway...

He's doing great sleeping in a bed and he doesn't even use the bed rails! He stays in the bed in the morning and after nap and just yells to me "Mommy, I awake!" so that I can go get him. Not sure why he doesn't just get out of bed, but I'm NOT going to be the one to suggest this freedom to him :)

Today after nap, I asked Carter to go help Coen out of bed while I finished a project. He went in and Coen wasn't going for it. He refused to get out of bed without me there - he must think he'll get in trouble.. So, Carter decided to keep him busy by talking about how "cool" his new big boy room is. It is so fun to hear their little conversations!


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Planter turned bookshelf

So many projects going on right now in all three boys' rooms. Carter is pretty settled, but he has nothing up on his walls yet. I came across a flower planter at a garage sale for $3 and decided I could turn it into two bookshelves. Even better, the color works well in Carter's room - the other will be painted for the nursery. We just cut the planter in half..

and added some hardware...

and that was that! Carter loves it because it is hung so long on the wall so that he can easily get to his books. I love how excited he gets about "improvements" to his room. His enthusiasm is as if he is getting a new toy every time I hang anything in his room.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Coen update

No Pertussis for Coen! Yeah! Just a virus he has passed on to me. Boo.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Carter says

Close to bedtime, Carter wanted some "gummies" I told him no, but that I would give him some warm milk to help him calm down since he was acting a bit too "crazy". He drank it and then came back, dancing as if on crack and said:

Mommy, I need some more milk.. warm.. 'cause I'm still CRAZY! I'm still crazy mommy, I need to calm down!

Friday, May 18, 2012

My poor babies..

Coen has started coughing the past few days and it got much worse at bed time last night and this morning so, I called the doctor. The gatekeeper (A.K.A. advice nurse) wanted me to just give him some honey, but  it just seemed too weird to me that he would have a cough and no other symptoms and.. it's getting worse. What else did I need to get in to a doctor? So, she let me make an appointment and an hour later the doctor was saying she was concerned it might be Pertussis. Apparently there has been a bit of an outbreak up here and in viewing his chart, his first vaccination for it was in Ghana so, we really don't know how well we can trust it.

We were sent off for a quick test, but were given antibiotics to get started on right away since the test will take 2-3 days. After his long-term bronchitis he had up until he came home, his poor little lungs have just been through too much.

Now Carter..

He has been a loud breather/snorer since birth, but it was about 6 months ago that we really noticed that his breathing issues were a daily occurrence and not just a winter cold. Dr. V. wanted to just watch it for a while. Well, a while went by and I took him back in. We decided it definitely wasn't allergies or a cold and it turns out he has large tonsils so, off to the ENT...

ENT says that he needs his adenoids removed and his tonsils take up 2/3s of his throat so, they really should come out as well. The sooner the better as apparently recovery is much better the younger you are and all the mouth-breathing he is doing will likely cause teeth issues down the road.

I know it's a routine procedure, but it scares me half to death to think of my tiny little man going into surgery. We have a few more weeks until the big day.

Summer for a few days...

We've had weird summers up here the past 3 years or so. Basically, we don't get a summer until July, but this year, we have a nice little preview for about a week. It was sooooo hot that Chris got the pool out of for the boys. For some reason it seemed that as soon as I opened the back door, both boys would be naked, as if they HAD to be naked to play in the back yard. Even when I told them to keep on their undies, I would turn around and POOF, naked.

Not sure if this is a boy thing or a Roberts-boy thing..


Poor Carter looks ridiculously skinny. It's a bad photo, really, but he also isn't a big eater. We've tried bribery, making foods we know he likes and telling him Coen is going to out-grow him. Not much working. He just seems to get full fast at mealtime. Right now I've given in to offering snacks all day long in hopes of getting SOME food in him and he does seem to like Pediasure :)


Some times I think Carter is a really an 80 year old in a 3 year old's body.. He set this seat up with footrest all best himself. He likes to be "comfy".

There other favorite thing to do outside? Pee on a tree. Yep. Ever since Carter learned he could do this on a camping trip, he takes every opportunity to pee outside. Little "me too" wasn't far behind. This little stinker will actually go over to the tree fully clothed and pull his pants and diaper down to pee - all on his own. Tell me he isn't potty-trained. He just CHOOSES not to go to the toilet. He clearly knows when he needs to go and can even do it on his own.

If his stubbornness isn't enough like me, he also decided this past week that he does not like milk. Period. Exactly what I did when I was about 3. No rhyme or reason. Just won't touch it now. Well, I guess at least he is the cutest version of karma I could hope for...  

Nesting in high gear

Man, oh man! My nesting is in high gear lately. We are in the process of playing musical rooms upstairs moving Carter to the guest room and the nursery to Carter's old room and turning Coen's room into his own big boy room - photos to come! Chris won't let me do much heavy lifting so, when I'm at a stopping point, I have found way too many random projects to do. This is one that I've been meaning to do for ever, but just now got some energy back.

                                       

I followed my mom's tutorial on her blog, but basically... I painted a board I found in the garage..


Using MS Word, I printed out the saying and then scribbled chalk over the backside of the pages...


Then, with the chalk side down, I outlined the words on to the painted board leaving an outline 


which I then hand painted in... 


I think it turned out pretty cute in the boys' bathroom!
                                                  

Friday, May 11, 2012

Gymnastics



Coen started gymnastics this week and LOVED it! The coach was great, talking at their level and making it fun, but also really teaching them gymnastics. There are 4 little girls in the class and their parents seem to be out for the gold medal, but they are all very nice and welcoming assuring me that Coen will "get it" after a few classes. Hmmmm.. I think he gets it now. He is having a blast and I loved the one on one with him.

$4 zoo day!


Henry Woodruff invited us to join him and his mama at $4 day at the zoo this week and we just couldn't say no! We got super lucky at just about every exhibit with the animals coming right up for the boys to see and the weather was PERFECT!

We had to laugh as Coen was "helping" Henry at one point. Henry is a year younger than Coen, but taller than him and weighs the same as Carter. Try to picture Coen talking down to this "baby". It is cute to watch the boys be so careful with younger kids (even those who are bigger than them) even though they are so rough with each other. 

Soccer for Carter!

The boys started soccer this week, but it was apparent that Carter was in the wrong class. He was the oldest by at least a year so, we moved him up to the next class, 3-5 year olds. He is probably the youngest, but he is doing great! He follows instructions well and is getting his dribbling down and making those goals! He is loving it!

Mother's Day tea!



I was invited to the nicest Mother's Day tea this morning. GG watched Coen so that I could enjoy some 1 on 1 time with Carter in his classroom. The tea was so nice! His teacher decorated the room, provided a nice little buffet and even had real tea cups with an assortment of teas for the moms to use. Carter was over the moon to be able to wear his tie and take mommy to tea and he was really excited to give me the card he made and the flower in the pot that HE painted. What an awesome morning with my sweet little man who has the best teacher!


Side note: I really am 5 months pregnant. Not sure why you can't really see my belly in the photo ;)

Monday, May 7, 2012

8 months home

I cannot believe it has been 8 months that Coen has been home and yet, I cannot believe it has ONLY been 8 months that he has been home. Make any sense?

I mean, didn't we just get through the stress of paperwork and visa appointments? Then again, it seems like he has always been with us. It's hard to remember a time without Carter and Coen running through the house, fighting over toys and hugging on each other. I vaguely remember worrying about how he would adjust and how the boys would get along. Now, as we expect number three, I'm worried about our newest being left out as I watch these two best buddies full of their own personalities long before their little brother arrives. I'm a mom, I have to worry about something ;)

Coen is doing awesome overall. He is verbally very advanced and his overall comprehension seems to be above that of other kids his age. Now, if he could just use his powers for good :) He he. Seriously, he is adorable and cuddly, but he has so much of his mommy's stubbornness in him that some days are a challenge for he and I. We've made some big improvements this past week as I learned ways to avoid his hot buttons and he in turn, willing or not, avoids mine. As the saying goes, if Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy,  but at our house, Mama can't be happy if Coen ain't happy so, I guess we know who really has the power here...

We made the decision to pull him out of school this week. He's been going for about a month and a half now and we've steadily seen regression in a few areas. Potty training went down the tube, his manners were disappearing at the table and his attitude really sucked - he was saying, "no" to everything. It all could be random timing, but I can't help but think that going from only being around OCD-potty-trained-Carter to being exposed to younger kids in diapers who tend to just eat with their hands had something to do with it. When I mentioned the "no" thing to his teacher she told me that "they all do that. They only say no." hmmmmm.. So, no school for now until he is able to move up to the next classroom level (not until at least 2 1/2). Instead, we are going to do a gymnastics class while Carter is at school. He is such a ball of energy, I'm hoping that gymnastics will help him doing something productive with it.


Things said is a house of boys

I'm not going to say it again, YOUR PANTS ARE NOT A WEAPON!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

No nap

This is what happens when Carter insists he does NOT need a nap.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Neighborhood Mascot




All the kids on the block are older than Carter by a good 4-5 years,
but they seem to get a kick out of both boys. Today, a couple of them
came to see if the boys could play. Coen was still napping, but Carter
had a blast!



More pregnancy dreams...

or maybe they are just "Coen" dreams.. So, I had this dream last week.  Then, the other day, I had this dream:

Again, I was stuck in a house for some reason, but I could see out the window that Coen was about to jump into a swimming pool. I was frantic trying to get to him. Before I could, he jumped right in and started swimming..

Why am I having dreams about needing to save Coen from himself only to find that he is perfectly fine? (Rhetorical question, I really don't need crazy insight) :)