Update-A-Palooza!

~It's 2013 Y'all!~

I’ve finally been able to log into Blogger today so I’m writing an update post to end all update posts. I don’t know why I’m having such good luck today with Blogger but I’m not letting this chance pass me by. More than likely it will be uncooperative again tomorrow.

Christmas

I’d love to post a detailed story of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day complete with pictures and videos but alas I don’t really have many pictures and only one long video that I don’t even have with me today. The likelihood that I’ll come back later and post is almost nil…so this will have to do.

Joey's early Christmas present!

We were able to have Christmas with all of the kids this year and it was Joey’s first Christmas so that was really nice. All of the kids really cleaned up with toys and clothes and dinner was delicious. (Daniel and Stephanie also had the most beautiful tree!)

Christmas morning - Jimmy throwing a small fit on the floor

Jimmy had a blast ripping open presents and he’s played and played with all of his toys and gotten ALL of his new clothes dirty so I think everything was a hit. Especially the stocking and all the “canny” – it was an all day chorus of “OpEN eet”.

Joey seemed to really love all of the hustle and bustle and the wrapping paper. Pretty much anything that was within his reach got chewed on. Jimmy happily helped him open any presents that he couldn’t open.

Christmas morning - his normal smiling self!

NYE and New Year Day

NYE was a really laid back affair. I had to work and then came home and relaxed for awhile with the kids before grilling hamburgers and hanging out around the fire pit while we designed our small dream cabin from top to bottom. When Joey woke up I brought him outside with me but it was hard to keep him wrapped tightly enough so I went in around 10:30 and ended up asleep on the couch while trying to hold Jimmy still - cause he was a little too hyper. I woke at midnight just enough to wish everyone happy new year and Mercedes happy birthday and then was out again.

Mamma & Joey enjoying the fire

New Year’s Day was a very slow and short day. We laid in bed with the boys – still designing the cabin – until about 11 and then it was time for another nap since the birthday girl was sleeping in very late. We finally were all up and dressed by 3 and spent the rest of the day eating pizza and taking Mercedes ice skating at the Galleria for her birthday. We wrapped it up by watching a movie at home and hitting the hay on time.

Side note – Mercedes turned 14 years old, Joey turned 7 months old and I turned 14 weeks pregnant on the 1st.

Mercedes

She’s 14 now. Not sure if I need to say much more except that she’s really a good kid even if she thinks ordering steak and lobster without asking is perfectly okay.

Her brothers sure do love her that’s for sure.

Jimmy

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! Sweet little onery Jimmy. He’s really a good little boy but he’s 2. He doesn’t give us many problems but I think that makes the problems he does give us seem bigger because we’re just not used to it. He’s started trying to exert some independence and showing some attitude over random things and having full blown melt downs over the silliest things.

Having Lunch with Daddy

When he gets in trouble if he doesn’t have a melt down he comes and hugs us and says “mommy!” or “daddy!” in a really sweet voice in an effort to distract us from the discipline. It’s so obvious what he’s doing but sometimes it’s really hard not to give into it because he’s just so dang cute.

He’s also learned how to shoot an imaginary rifle. It’s so hilarious to see him do it, I’ll have to get a picture or video if I can. He points both index fingers, turns to the side, puts one index finger by his mouth and one pointed straight out, slightly bends his knees and “PHEW” (something like that) shoots. He does this when he’s playing and when he’s feeling a little out of control of the situation (i.e. in trouble). It’s really funny to see.

"Working" with Daddy

A big update is that now he’s in a toddler bed! It’s been about a week and he’s doing really great at sleeping in it. So far we’ve only put him to bed awake two or three times and he’s had a little trouble staying in bed. I think it has more to do with his sleeping schedule being way out of whack right now while sister and daddy are on vacation. He’s keeping their vacation hours with them. But other than that he hasn’t been upset about the change at all. He hasn’t even looked at the crib twice. I was nervous that he’d want to sleep in the crib again.

He’s going through a little separation anxiety right now where he really only wants me to do anything for him, wants me to hold him all the time and freaks out if I leave anywhere without him. I’ve noticed he goes through these phases ever so often when he’s going through some kind of growth spurt (physical or learning new skills - vocal or otherwise) or when he feels insecure about something or when he’s sick or about to get sick. I don’t think he’s getting sick so maybe the vacation time at our house has him feeling like things aren’t right – the schedule has been overturned – and that’s a lot to take in when you’re a 2 year old perfectionist. Hopefully when things get back to normal next week he’ll start feeling better.



Using his new hammer at his new table

He’s just a precious little boy that’s growing way too fast.

Joey

Big little Joey. Such a smiley baby. He’s also started a separation anxiety phase which is rough on mamma because I can’t take care of both of them at the same time. Thankfully those moments are few and far between when they both need me at the exact same time. The problem with Joey’s anxiety is that he gets upset if I set him down or walk away from him. So he starts crying. Occasionally that anxiety turns into anger and then he starts screaming just cause he’s mad. It’s a very different cry/scream. Right now if anyone picks him up he’s okay so that helps me out.

I think he’s pretty much outgrown his infant car seat. It’s getting incredibly difficult to buckle him in so I think we’re going to have transition to something else pretty soon.

He was in his bassinet in the pack’n’play until a week ago. I mistakenly thought it would hold up to 25 lbs. One day I noticed he seemed to be a “BIG fish in a tiny little puddle” so I looked up the specs online and uhh yeah, it only holds up to 15 lbs! I thought we’d have to buy another crib but we got Mercedes old toddler bed down, moved Jimmy to that and now Joey is a “little fish in a big pond” again.

I just unpacked a TON of 12 months clothes that I just packed up not that long ago for him. Jimmy was wearing this stuff at 18 months and he’s wearing most of it at 7 months. !!!

He has a smile for everyone and he has the cutest little dimples. He really loves to laugh so if you can get him going he’ll just laugh and laugh.

It’s so hard to believe he’ll be a year old in just 5 short months.

Bonus Baby

14 weeks, I think. My first appointment is tomorrow where I hope to convince them to give me a dating ultrasound. I have an arsenal of reasons they should so something should work.

I’m officially in my second trimester, is that crazy or what?? I can feel my uterus with no problems although my belly is still very jiggly – although if you look at it from a distance it looks like a baby bump.

Most of the first trimester symptoms have gone although it seems like morning sickness wants to have an encore but I’m doing my best to discourage that. I didn’t have many brains left for Joey to suck out of me during that pregnancy and it’s pretty much official now that the babies have eaten my brain…all of it.

Yesterday Bonus Baby was the size of a lemon. (cause I know you want to know that)

Week 13 Belly pics

Is that enough updates? It better be cause I’m typed out. Until next time!