Wow... we thought an eight hour drive with a six month old last summer was going to be the end of us until we left on Friday evening to head out on a six hour drive with a 16 month old and a 7 week old. AHHHHHH is all I had to say.
My cousin Rachel was getting married on Sunday so we made a weekend out of it, in hopes that weather would be great and we could spend a lot of time in the pool at the hotel. Well, our hopes came true and that's just what we did. After a long drive down to Springfield, Missouri we arrived at our hotel about 3 am. We were exhausted and ready to sleep. But of course as soon as we pulled up to the hotel Barret's eyes were wide open and he pointed out the window and said, "what's that?" I was immediately frustrated and new that it was going to be an even longer night. We got to the room and Levi started screaming. I knew he was hungry, but there was more to the screaming than hunger, maybe a strange place, maybe he could sense my frustration, or maybe he just didn't want us to go to sleep. Daddy curled up in one bed while pinning Barret down to keep him from getting up and wandering around. It's night time Barret, go to sleep, is all that Daddy kept saying over and over again. I on the other hand sat wide awake in the other bed trying to nurse Levi and trying to get him to fall back to sleep. Every time he would get quiet I thought to myself, this is it, and then moments later a shrilling scream and then out of the corner of my eye I would see a shadow move. Looking over to see Barret's head peaking over Daddy's body, just staring at Levi and me. 4:30am rolled around and we finally were able to lay down and I eventually fell asleep too. Lucky for us Barret didn't wake up until about 8:30, he must have been pretty tired too. I was thankful.
We got up, brushed our teeth and headed over to IHOP for breakfast. Barret was starving, he ate 2 whole pancakes, a piece of sausage, and drank a ton of milk and most of Mama's smoothie. It was quite delicious. We headed back to the hotel and took a walk just to see the layout and figure out where the pool was. Barret was so excited and wanted to jump right in. I had to pull him away kicking and screaming literally. We headed up to the room got changed, and came back down to the pool and it was only 9:30. We had a long day in store that was for sure. We spent the morning at the pool and the afternoon at the pool. We enjoyed a complementary lunch at the hotel due to room issues, and even got to see Grandma and Grandpa Boehm and Uncle Jason. It was really exciting. Levi even dipped his little toes in the pool for the first time. He wasn't exactly sure about it, to cry or not to cry was seriously the question. The water was warm no doubt but the wind was a bit chilly for his little body. He did a great job though. (pictures to come, in the move I have misplace my uploader) We ended the day with a feast out at The Outback where we were accompanied by Aunt Deborah and Uncle Oscar. It was a feast for kings, even though were were crammed 7 adults and two babies to a booth for most of the meal.
On Sunday we woke up with our bellies still full, which was a good thing because the breakfast at the hotel was not exactly the best thing I've ever eaten. However, we ate anyway and at 6:30 in the morning we ate our breakfast in peace down in the restaurant of the hotel. It was nice and we enjoyed it. But of course, as soon as breakfast was over we went to wake up everyone else. And sooner than later we headed out to the pool where we splished and splashed the day away. We even had lunch on the deck so to not disturb our water bug Barret. He was loving it and soaking up every second of the heat stricken day by spending it in the water. He even went under a few times, all on accident, but took it like a champ. Eventually we headed up to our rooms to get ready for the wedding. It was an evening wedding, 6:30, so we had to get dinner before going. Our choice feast this night was Fudruckers. Delicious! I'm sure we were a sight to see though, dressed to the 9's in our wedding attire, eating delicious burgers and playing video games. We like to make a statement :)
The wedding was beautiful and Barret was seriously on his best behavior. He sat through the ceremony like he'd done it a thousand times. Of course we kept offering him different toys whenever he would begin to get antsy. Grandma Boehm brought the best thing though, and we will take it everywhere we go that is quiet now. A book with over 40 flaps to open (it tells you that on the cover, I didn't count them). It was really great. The reception was fun too. Barret was a dancer that's for sure, and as tired as he was and as much as he was falling asleep, we got him going and he was having a blast. Barret's favorite thing though were the moving lights on the dance floor. He kept trying to touch them but they were always moving. His frustration was a little funny but he didn't seem to care too much that he couldn't catch them. We finally got back to the hotel at 11pm and were exhausted. Of course Barret's two minute cat nap in the car had him all caught up on the sleep he needed. I'm pretty sure he was practicing his kung fu in the pack-n-play. It took him almost an hour to finally settle down and go to sleep. When I got the courage to go turn on a light and look at him he was curled up in a ball in one corner of the pack-n-play and all the blankets were in the other corner, even the ones we had laid down on the bottom for him to lay on top of. What a crazy little one we have.
Levi did a great job on his first long trip and I was so proud of him. He made it through the hot sunny days by the pool and even looked so studly at the wedding in his tuxedo onsie. He was truly the best dressed there. I was very proud of my boys and how adorable they were at the wedding (it was a first for both). Levi even got to add a new state to his list, MISSOURI!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Molar-anator
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness....our little Bear-man has been baring his teeth at us through his slobbery fingers for the past few weeks. We new he was teething, but had no idea the extent of it. Can you imagine the pain of getting two molars in at the exact same time, along with one canine tooth, and have two more molars and one more canine tooth working their way to the surface? Well, if you can't you should ask Barret what it feels like. He has been dealing with this for a while now and the crabbiness is wearing me out. I can't believe that all these teeth are coming through the surface. It seems like just yesterday he was our toothless wonder and was
o-so-cute with his gummy smile. I LOVED that gummy smile. 
His teeth are coming in so nicely though and I love his smiles more and more each day.
His teeth are coming in so nicely though and I love his smiles more and more each day. Speaking of smiling, our little Levi is becoming quite the smiler. His smiles certainly brighten my day and make up for all the screaming he does. I love the wide open, one side higher, bright eyes smiles. They are absolutely adorable and I can't get enough. Of course he is a little stinker like his brother and likes to hide them from the camera as much as possible.
It's funny how my little men are so aware of the camera. They see it and they suddenly become bashful and more interested in that silly piece of technology than anyone else around it trying their absolute hardest to make them smile.
However, in the past few days Barret has become much less camera shy and much more of a model. His silly smiles are ready for the taking.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Pacifiers Anonymous
So did you ever think that at a mere 16 months our dear Barret would need to join some sort of club to get rid of his addiction? That's right friends, our Barret is truly addicted to the pacifier. He can't let it go, he can't get it out of his head, and he will try anything he can just to get ahold of it.
Now, I've never been addicted to anything so I don't know what the process is like, but I can imagine that it isn't all that wonderful. To give up something you love, in this case a silly pacifier, when you know it just makes you happy to use it seems ludicrous. So far he really doesn't seem to have too many side effects and really the only time he breaks down to his low point is if he sees Levi enjoying that wonderful suck of the pacifier.
Since January we have been slowly trying to ween Barret of this habit and it became almost like a special treat around February when he was only aloud to use it during nap time and bed time. He was really good with this and it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. I was getting really excited thinking that we would be pacifier free by the end of the summer until just recently. As you know Levi is a crier so the pacifier has been thought to be our saving grace. However, Levi doesn't really give much interest toward the pacifier leaving it ripe for the picking when he spits it out moments later. And of course, our stealthy little mister is right there to swipe it. It immediately plugs the mouth, no questions, he sports a little smirk and gives a little giggle and he's gone. There's no catching him without your running shoes. No joke. Then once you finally catch him and your out of breath and your telling him for the twenty millionth time that he is a big boy and big boys don't need pacifiers you pull it from his mouth and put it up on the shelf and he lets out a long, loud, and high pitch scream, followed by a sobbing cry. It's like we are robbing him of his joy.
I can't tell you how many times a day I give in to the crying and take it away after he is focused on something else and he doesn't notice it is gone. It's horrible and I feel terrible for taking away something he loves but it must be done.
So, if you know of any other young toddlers that need to join a Pacifiers Anonymous group let me know and we can start one up. Barret would love to share with you his feelings on the lovely habit :)
Now, I've never been addicted to anything so I don't know what the process is like, but I can imagine that it isn't all that wonderful. To give up something you love, in this case a silly pacifier, when you know it just makes you happy to use it seems ludicrous. So far he really doesn't seem to have too many side effects and really the only time he breaks down to his low point is if he sees Levi enjoying that wonderful suck of the pacifier.
Since January we have been slowly trying to ween Barret of this habit and it became almost like a special treat around February when he was only aloud to use it during nap time and bed time. He was really good with this and it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. I was getting really excited thinking that we would be pacifier free by the end of the summer until just recently. As you know Levi is a crier so the pacifier has been thought to be our saving grace. However, Levi doesn't really give much interest toward the pacifier leaving it ripe for the picking when he spits it out moments later. And of course, our stealthy little mister is right there to swipe it. It immediately plugs the mouth, no questions, he sports a little smirk and gives a little giggle and he's gone. There's no catching him without your running shoes. No joke. Then once you finally catch him and your out of breath and your telling him for the twenty millionth time that he is a big boy and big boys don't need pacifiers you pull it from his mouth and put it up on the shelf and he lets out a long, loud, and high pitch scream, followed by a sobbing cry. It's like we are robbing him of his joy.
I can't tell you how many times a day I give in to the crying and take it away after he is focused on something else and he doesn't notice it is gone. It's horrible and I feel terrible for taking away something he loves but it must be done.
So, if you know of any other young toddlers that need to join a Pacifiers Anonymous group let me know and we can start one up. Barret would love to share with you his feelings on the lovely habit :)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cry, Cry on
As I sit here listening to our little one scream at the top of his lungs I can not help but wonder what on earth is the matter. But moments ago he was a happy little camper enjoying himself, taking in all that is around him. He begins to wrinkle his face and flail his arms and I know it's coming. That horrible, no good, very awful cry. I don't like that cry. It makes me sad. It makes me frustrated. It makes me question his health. That cry takes me to a whole different place. Lately when he does this I have just been putting him down, letting him work it out on his own, only to make it worse, the cry goes to a whole different decibel that I didn't even know existed. You are full my little man. You are clean and you are loved. Please stop crying so we can all enjoy our days a little more.
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Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Adventures!
Well, since my last post we have officially moved to our new place and instantly called it home. We love it and are so comfortable here. We have a big yard for the boys to play in, we have great space indoors, and we even know our neighbors!
Just a quick update on things that have been going on here...
Barret is loving his backyard and runs around like crazy, he is crazy and loves to get into anything and everything he can while Mama is nursing, and he is still our wonderful little munchkin man.
Levi cries all the time, and when I say all the time, I literally mean ALL the time. He is getting better at nursing, he isn't a big fan of his big brother slamming into him, and he is still oh so sweet to cuddle with (but the opportunity doesn't come around too often).
We got a dog! Not a puppy, don't worry, I'm not that crazy. We took one of Daddy's old dogs off of Grandma and Grandpa Gaffney's hands. Wrigley is her name and well, she likes squirrels, walks in the park, and finding hiding places to keep Barret away :)
Barret loves her, maybe not loves her, but he sure enjoys the occasional love of Wrigley moments. Otherwise, he is attempting to pet her with his feet, which turns into kicking her. Or the ever so graceful times he tries to climb over her instead of go around her, which inevitably turns into Wrigley quickly getting to her feet to run and Barret landing on the ground where he looks up at me with a frustrated look. There is even what I will now call the Wrigley step. This is Barret's attempt to use Wrigley literally as a step to get up on the couches or whatever she may be laying near. However, Barret does think she is just the greatest "doggie" in the world and he can't get enough of her nose. His quick tap at the nose, where he just barely touches it and shouts out this forceful laugh and scrunches up his nose to make an evil sounding noise that is also a mixture with a squeal of delight just makes me laugh every time. Wrigley on the other hand isn't really amused.
Needless to say I seem to have my hands full. But, no worries, we will be adding yet another baby to the mix at the end of the month. Baby Caroline will be joining our possie and as excited as I am, I am also very uncertain how the first few weeks will turn out. Mama might just have to retreat to her room while they all scream it out. (If you know me, you know that I could never do that)
Our days in the new place have led to many adventures though. We went out and bought a little pool to set up in the backyard on Monday when the temperature skipped from Winter to Summer all in one day. Let me tell you, we LOVE it! The water is our saving grace, and Mama and Barret can't wait for the real pool to open this year. We certainly are water bugs if I ever knew one. It's so funny sometimes how much like his Mama Barret is. On Monday when we set the pool up I stuck the hose in it to fill it up then ran into the kitchen to grab the baby monitor. I was gone for a split second and Barret had already managed to pick up the hose and get in the water. He knew just what to do, and even though that water was below freezing, he had no problems enjoying his new backyard adventure. Speaking of, have you ever seen the kids TV show, The Backyardigans, Barret and I watched a couple episodes a few weeks ago and I still can not get the dumb opening song out of my head. It is probably the most catchy tune I have heard in a long time. Which I guess doesn't really say much for my music selection lately. Or I guess it just tells you I'm a mom. Back to the pool though...
Our yard is filled with toys and boys and a silly dog that just lazes around on these hot summer days and I'm positive she dreams of her old home where there was no screaming no crying and absolutely nothing ever tried to pull her tail or climb on her back to ride her as a horsey.
But of course with all this warm weather comes overtime for Daddy. We don't really get to see him that often anymore because he leaves the house at 6:45 am and doesn't usually get home until about 5:30. We look forward to the weekends and truly treasure the ones when we get to just hang out the four of us. which doesn't seem to happen very often. We are very grateful for the work he puts in to provide for our family but we miss him a lot and look forward to when he comes home. Barret's new thing when daddy gets home is to great him at the door with a shoe swipe. His hands wave back and forth above Daddy's boots and he says "achy achy" over and over again. No kisses, no hugs, just "achy achy". Yes Daddy's boots are pretty dirty but doesn't he deserve a quick wave and a hi at least?
Yesterday was Levi's one month checkup. He is getting so big already. His weight is already 10 lbs 8 oz and his height is 21 1/2 inches. He seems to be at the edge of the 50 percentile for both, and I'm hoping he will end up super tall just like his brother who is in the 90th percentile for height.
Last week we celebrated mother's day by enjoying a picnic in the park. We walked there wagon, stroller, and dog in tow. It was a sight to be seen I'm sure. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it. The picnic in the park, the afternoon stroll, the relaxing on the back deck while the little ones were napping. It was perfect and I couldn't have been happier. There wasn't anything really special about the day, I wasn't treated like a queen, I simply got a gift which made it 'Mother's Day', otherwise we spent the day with our family, just like any other ordinary day, which makes me smile bigger each time. I love the simple things in life. Those moments make me realize how special I am to have a husband and two little ones who I cherish so much. I love getting to soak up the times we are together, just the four of us. They are the times I will remember most, the silly little adventures we take, the firsts in our boys lives, and the joy we bring each other every day. I love it!
Speaking of silly adventures, this evening we went for a walk because Wrigley needed to get out. We saw the clouds, we felt the wind, we knew it was going to rain but we went anyway. As we turned the first corner rain. A slight but hard down pour of rain. As it got harder and harder Steve began to run with Wrigley on the leash and Barret in the wagon. I on the other hand did a bit of speed walking with Levi in the moby. I didn't think running would necessarily be the best idea with a one month old strapped to myself. Eventually Wrigley got away from Steve and Barret got a little scared and Levi's head was a bit wet, but we made it home all in one piece.
Just a quick update on things that have been going on here...
Barret is loving his backyard and runs around like crazy, he is crazy and loves to get into anything and everything he can while Mama is nursing, and he is still our wonderful little munchkin man.
Levi cries all the time, and when I say all the time, I literally mean ALL the time. He is getting better at nursing, he isn't a big fan of his big brother slamming into him, and he is still oh so sweet to cuddle with (but the opportunity doesn't come around too often).
We got a dog! Not a puppy, don't worry, I'm not that crazy. We took one of Daddy's old dogs off of Grandma and Grandpa Gaffney's hands. Wrigley is her name and well, she likes squirrels, walks in the park, and finding hiding places to keep Barret away :)
Barret loves her, maybe not loves her, but he sure enjoys the occasional love of Wrigley moments. Otherwise, he is attempting to pet her with his feet, which turns into kicking her. Or the ever so graceful times he tries to climb over her instead of go around her, which inevitably turns into Wrigley quickly getting to her feet to run and Barret landing on the ground where he looks up at me with a frustrated look. There is even what I will now call the Wrigley step. This is Barret's attempt to use Wrigley literally as a step to get up on the couches or whatever she may be laying near. However, Barret does think she is just the greatest "doggie" in the world and he can't get enough of her nose. His quick tap at the nose, where he just barely touches it and shouts out this forceful laugh and scrunches up his nose to make an evil sounding noise that is also a mixture with a squeal of delight just makes me laugh every time. Wrigley on the other hand isn't really amused.
Needless to say I seem to have my hands full. But, no worries, we will be adding yet another baby to the mix at the end of the month. Baby Caroline will be joining our possie and as excited as I am, I am also very uncertain how the first few weeks will turn out. Mama might just have to retreat to her room while they all scream it out. (If you know me, you know that I could never do that)
Our days in the new place have led to many adventures though. We went out and bought a little pool to set up in the backyard on Monday when the temperature skipped from Winter to Summer all in one day. Let me tell you, we LOVE it! The water is our saving grace, and Mama and Barret can't wait for the real pool to open this year. We certainly are water bugs if I ever knew one. It's so funny sometimes how much like his Mama Barret is. On Monday when we set the pool up I stuck the hose in it to fill it up then ran into the kitchen to grab the baby monitor. I was gone for a split second and Barret had already managed to pick up the hose and get in the water. He knew just what to do, and even though that water was below freezing, he had no problems enjoying his new backyard adventure. Speaking of, have you ever seen the kids TV show, The Backyardigans, Barret and I watched a couple episodes a few weeks ago and I still can not get the dumb opening song out of my head. It is probably the most catchy tune I have heard in a long time. Which I guess doesn't really say much for my music selection lately. Or I guess it just tells you I'm a mom. Back to the pool though...
Our yard is filled with toys and boys and a silly dog that just lazes around on these hot summer days and I'm positive she dreams of her old home where there was no screaming no crying and absolutely nothing ever tried to pull her tail or climb on her back to ride her as a horsey.
But of course with all this warm weather comes overtime for Daddy. We don't really get to see him that often anymore because he leaves the house at 6:45 am and doesn't usually get home until about 5:30. We look forward to the weekends and truly treasure the ones when we get to just hang out the four of us. which doesn't seem to happen very often. We are very grateful for the work he puts in to provide for our family but we miss him a lot and look forward to when he comes home. Barret's new thing when daddy gets home is to great him at the door with a shoe swipe. His hands wave back and forth above Daddy's boots and he says "achy achy" over and over again. No kisses, no hugs, just "achy achy". Yes Daddy's boots are pretty dirty but doesn't he deserve a quick wave and a hi at least?
Yesterday was Levi's one month checkup. He is getting so big already. His weight is already 10 lbs 8 oz and his height is 21 1/2 inches. He seems to be at the edge of the 50 percentile for both, and I'm hoping he will end up super tall just like his brother who is in the 90th percentile for height.
Last week we celebrated mother's day by enjoying a picnic in the park. We walked there wagon, stroller, and dog in tow. It was a sight to be seen I'm sure. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it. The picnic in the park, the afternoon stroll, the relaxing on the back deck while the little ones were napping. It was perfect and I couldn't have been happier. There wasn't anything really special about the day, I wasn't treated like a queen, I simply got a gift which made it 'Mother's Day', otherwise we spent the day with our family, just like any other ordinary day, which makes me smile bigger each time. I love the simple things in life. Those moments make me realize how special I am to have a husband and two little ones who I cherish so much. I love getting to soak up the times we are together, just the four of us. They are the times I will remember most, the silly little adventures we take, the firsts in our boys lives, and the joy we bring each other every day. I love it!
Speaking of silly adventures, this evening we went for a walk because Wrigley needed to get out. We saw the clouds, we felt the wind, we knew it was going to rain but we went anyway. As we turned the first corner rain. A slight but hard down pour of rain. As it got harder and harder Steve began to run with Wrigley on the leash and Barret in the wagon. I on the other hand did a bit of speed walking with Levi in the moby. I didn't think running would necessarily be the best idea with a one month old strapped to myself. Eventually Wrigley got away from Steve and Barret got a little scared and Levi's head was a bit wet, but we made it home all in one piece.
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