Truck YEAH!

Tillman loves a truck (daddy's truck, semi's, trucks with trailers...it doesn't matter), and recently he has been getting into music too.  He likes to watch CMT, and likes the song, Truck yeah's, video....He knows the chorus "Truck yeah!"  He loves the video with all the trucks in it too.  I think he may like that video as much as cartoons!

Tillman has a "truck" of his own he is learning to drive.  I must say, he does listen at directions when he is TRYING to operate it, but he doesn't have his license just yet. Let's see....he knows how to push the gas!  However, he doesn't know how to steer.  That is a problem that almost caused him to flip his "truck" and caused him to run into a lot of things (including almost hitting mommy's car!).

Tillman's Power Wheel Jeep is his truck!  He even knows how to lift the hood and connect the battery, so I learned yesterday after he was pitching a fit to ride it.  As soon as we pulled into the garage, Tillman was whimpering saying "Truck Truck."  "Mommy, Truck Truck!"  He was told that he couldn't ride it, as it was getting dark and we had to walk Graham...boy, did he get ramped up!  Needless to say the neighbors could hear him screaming, and I'm really surprised the police didn't show up because he was screaming bloody murder!  Boys and their trucks....Truck Yeah!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

Afternoon stroll around the house

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year.  We've hosted it for the past 4 years.  Nick commented this weekend that a lot has changed since the first time we hosted it-going from no kids to two kids would be the biggest change!  We had 21 people this year for the Thanksgiving feast.  Although we have told folks to not bring anything big, we still manage to have tons of leftovers...even wine and beer (what a sin!).
Uncle Ricky said the Blessing (gah gah to Tillman), JRS did a fried turkey, CiCi cooked bread, dressing, and sweet potato souffle, Mrs Mazy did her famous mac n' cheese, Aunt Julie did her famous corn bread casserole, Aunt Sylvia did her famous potato salad, and Nick did the deserts and baked a turkey. Many other items were brought as well.

Baking at the house started at 5AM!  Nick went to the grocery store the night before Thanksgiving   The smallest turkey was a 14 pounder!  We will be eating turkey for a while.  He had the over going into overdrive with baking 2 pumpkin pies, an apple pie, the turkey, and a cranberry upside down cake!  The pumpkin pies cause a bit of a mishap that filled the kitchen with smoke and made a very filthy oven!  The pumpkin pies ran over while rising.  We had to open all the windows, turn on the fans, and take the batteries out of the smoke detectors.  Caroline slept through it all, Tillman thought it was funny, and Graham wouldn't come back in the house for an hour after the smoke cleared (smart dog).

Tillman laughing at all the commotion 

While Nick was cooking, Tillman gave Graham a bath for the first time!  Tillman is starting to be able to tell his story of how things happened.  He reported to his daddy that Graham "shook" and "was all wet!"  Tillman and I also vacuumed the house before the guest arrived.

The Cook!

Tillman got a front row seat for the feast!  He sat right by the mac n' cheese and ate out of the container. We had to teach him some table manners.  He also made a complete mess, and stained the bar stool seat! He still needs to be in a high chair...for sure.  After cooking and dinner, the boys enjoyed passing the ball outside and sweet Caroline was held by all and napped the remainder of the afternoon.  I guess that turkey made her sleepy!

3 months 11.20.12

Strolling in Waterfront Park

Month 3 comes with lots of transition- mommy went back to work after 12 weeks and Caroline's in daycare.  We did have a busy month while I was still at home. Caroline took her first road trip and hotel stay to Greenville to watch Nick ride in his first bike race. By Caroline being a baby, we got front row parking (being and having a baby has its advantages!). We also got to introduce Caroline to her maternal extended family, and she also got to meet Nick's sister's family too!  She attended her first wedding-Papaw got married on Seabrook Island on Nov 3rd. Caroline also "got to vote" for the first time.  Oh, and Nick wouldn't want me to forget that she attended her first PURDUE event this month too!

Waiting in the two hour line to VOTE

For us, as parents, I think a second child has taught us we just have to go and do...we have to try at least.  Caroline has been an "on the go baby."  We used to avoid going place, out to eat, etc. because we had a child that might cry or act out.  The more we go and do, we've found that we can manage them pretty well, we have to take one out or just leave!

She love to "hang" in the car seat

Caroline likes to be on the go.  It seems when we are out, the more she tends to sleep.  She enjoys stroller rides and is getting used to the car more and enjoying it too.  She is a very content child, as the daycare says she only cries if she is wet, hungry or tired.  Now, I know I get fussy over a lot more than that, so Caroline sure is content. She shows her happiness through smiling, cooing (I think she will be a chatter box), and little giggles.

Laughing, Smiling, Giggling...

One thing I really enjoy about Caroline is that she likes to cuddle! She would rather be held than put down any day.  She is pretty spoiled because if she is put down and you walk away, she know and will let you know she doesn't approve.  She loves for someone to be in her face entertaining her at all times.   Caroline will watch you do a task, but you better be moving a lot and not stay in one place or she gets a little fussy.  She must think if I'm standing in one place for a long time, then I should be holding her!

Daddy and Caroline with their
 "I voted" stickers

We have been working on establishing a routine.  For the most part, we have one.  She wakes in the 5 or 6 o'clock hour.  She breastfeeds and goes back to sleep.  This is when the whole house gets ready.  Often I change her and feed her, and then slip her into the carseat, so she is ready to go when we leave the house around 7. Her daycare routine isn't established, but she cat naps throughout the day and generally eats every four hours.  I generally pick both kiddos up around 5.  She is generally content until 6, and then she is fed.  She naps in the 7 o'clock hour.  8-9:30 or 10, she is feeding until she falls asleep.  I've found if she goes to bed before 9:30, she wake up early.  With going back to work, I'm all about keeping her asleep until the alarm goes off at 5AM in our house!

PASSED OUT!

She is receiving formula, since she is such a hungry girl and mommy just can't keep up. I'm sad a little bit that I'm not making enough mommy milk, but we are hanging in there. I'm glad that she is still getting mommy milk as much as possible. Bottle-feeding has caused her to drink a lot more, but on the weekends we don't have to supplement.

I'm not ready to go to sleep look

Caroline is wearing 0-3 month clothes and even some 3-6 month clothing.  She is 13lbs!  Her hair is growing like crazy and is CURLY!  I just love her curls.  When we wash it, it has the tight curls all over her head.  Tillman loves to point to Caroline and say "pur-dy" (pretty!).  Caroline is also sporting big girl hair bows!

I have just LOVED having a little girl.  I catch myself just staring at her.  She has been a true blessing to our family.  I'm unsure if she will be our last kiddo, but I'm treating it as if she is!

26 months 11.12.12

Tillman watching Mickey!

The whole family went to Disney on Ice this past Sunday!  This was the first time we had ventured out to a show with Tillman (or Caroline). When the show started, Tillman didn't know what to think.  He didn't budge for the first 10 minutes of the show trying to figure out what he was watching.

T loving Cotton Candy!

Once the show was in full-swing he started to enjoy himself, sing along, and dance!  He also had his first taste of cotton candy!  He didn't know what to think of the texture at first, but once he got a taste of it, he was HOOKED!

Clapping along with the show

Tillman this month has really improved in his sentences.  Yesterday in the car we were on the phone with my mom, and she asked Tillman how he was doing and he said "I'm good!"  I had never heard him say that before!  He also says "I want ___.", "I did it.", I put it up." and "I love you!" He is starting to really listen to what he hears us say, and is starting to use them as his own words.  I know that is where he got "I'm good" from since he hears us talk on the phone all the time!
Tillman the chatter box is wonderful with sentences and objects (lawnmower went from "mow mow" to "mow mer"); however, his whole world is still YELLOW! We can't get him to learn his colors.  Sometimes I feel like he knows the color, but he is just saying yellow. Other times, I really think he might be color blind...don't laugh, I've Googled the signs!
Another area of improvement with Tillman over the last month is his appetite.  He is starting to eat more meat and is starting to clean his plate more.  We used to have a small section of food he would eat, but he will now eat what we have.  Last night he ate a ton of broccoli off Nick's plate after finishing his dinner.
Tillman is also requesting on occasion to go to the potty and is requesting to wear a "poo up" (Pull Up).  He will start to take his pants down.  We really try to make it a huge deal when he goes at home.  He does really well at school-going 3 times a day.

Tillman sharing with Caroline

Tillman is also enjoying being a big brother. He knows to be gentle with Caroline and really enjoys helping her.  He acknowledges her every move and sound-sneezes (wants to get a tissue for her), crying (he shhh's her), knows when he hears that her diaper needs to be changed, and runs to say "hi" ("Hey Caro yine") to hear when we are picking him up from daycare. He is genuinely excited to see her.

Big brother helping/playing Caroline

While Tillman is being wonderful and gentle with baby Caroline, he has had an incident at school.  Tillman bit a child in his class on Monday. The teacher assured me that it was normal and he had never done it before. She said it came out of nowhere when he was fighting over a toy with the child.  He went to time out.  I asked him about it and he admitted that he had bit. Nick talked to him and I did.  He still tells us when we ask him how his day was at school each day, "bit...no no!"  I think he got the message that there will be no biting.  He normally throws a fit when he goes to time out, but they took him to a strange room for time out, and he didn't say a word.  We think it made a huge impression on him, so the message seems received.

Tillman wanting his picture taken

While Tillman is growing up in a lot of ways, he still loves to be carried.  He was so independent before Caroline was born, but now with her being held all the time, he wants to be held.  I've had to grow some mussels because I carry him on one hip and the baby carries with the other arm.  He is really testing my strength.  We are trying to teach him about being a "big boy," but when he wants to be carried or has in his mind what he wants, there is no changing it!

I also find that he is starting to become more attached to items-particularly his blanket and moose that he sleeps with.  He is requesting all of these items before going to bed and likes to take them downstairs with him each morning.  Between all of these items and the sleep sac, it is a big production to go to bed.  Yes, we thought the sleep sac was going to see an exit, but that was a brief moment.  He still very much loves them!

Halloween 2012

Halloween was celebrated several times and places this year.  We stayed in Lexington after Caroline's Sip n' See go to St Peter's Harvest Fest and Truck or Treat.  We had a wonderful time.  We drove back to Charleston late on that Sunday.  We thought that Tillman would go right to sleep since 7 is his bed time, but we were mistaken.  He didn't fall asleep until Orangeburg on I-26. I think he was on a sugar high.

Tillman and Lance as little monkeys

Little Caroline slept through the Harvest fest after a busy day getting to meet all the Lexington family and friends.  CiCi made her a pumpkin costume that she sported to all her Halloween events.  Tillman was a monkey this year, and he loved the tail and even made monkey sounds!

Daycare also had Halloween events.  Tillman got to wear his costume to school.  They had a dance party-Tillman was a wild man dancing we hear.  See the pics from his teacher.  After daycare, the teachers hosted a Truck or Treat.  Tillman didn't get the whole "trick or treat;" he would just say "treat!"  Pretty smart guy if you ask me!

Tillman's class all dressed up

Tillman break-dancing

After daycare festivities, we headed to Summertrees (our old neighborhood) and did the official trick or treating.  Tillman and daddy went from house to house, while Caroline and I stay at the Jackson's house handing out candy!

Sweet Caroline in her Pumpkin shirt!

2 months 10.20.12

 

Miss Caroline was two months on Saturday. She went to the Pumpkin Patch to "celebrate."  Today, we went for her two month check up at the doctor.  All was good.  She is continuing to grow and everything looked good.  Caroline does at a snotty nose, but the doctor said she was fine and that it was just a small cold. He mentioned that she will pick up lots of kid germs here in the next couple of months, but when she is Tillman's age, she will likely not get sick much since she has been exposed to so much so early (by having a sibling).

Waiting on the doctor

Her head control has really improved over the past month.  She doesn't do much tummy time, but when I hold her over my shoulder, she is looking around and taking in the view.  Miss Caroline loves to be held.  She knows when you put her down.  It has been difficult to get things done around the house with her being like this, but I must admit I love that she loves her mommy!  I enjoy holding her and cuddling.  Tillman wasn't / isn't much of a cuddlier, but Miss Caroline loves to snuggle.

Afternoon nap

She continues to breastfeed, and we have had to supplement with formula here and there.  I think when I go back to work, I will likely have to supplement more.  At the beginning of the month, I got mastitis, which really hurt my milk production, but we are trying hard to gain it back/maintain it.  I'm on 20 pills/herbs a day trying to keep everything going. 

First smile mom caught on camera

At the doctor's visit, I, of course, had my list of questions. One was about a dry cough.  His thinking is she has reflux, but not enough to do anything about it. He asked if she spits up.  She does occasionally, but I guess I should have said yes, because she spit up on me today so much that we both had to change our clothes and get a bath!  I guess she got me back for the 3 shots she got today!  She was ok with one, but once the second shot went in the leg, she was screaming!

Waiting on SHOTS! (mom's list of questions for MD on table)

 

Shot one!

 

Shot two and three!

Caroline's hair is what folks notice about her first.  I have people stop me in the store to look at it.  She has thick curly hair!  I just love it.  We can put bows in it. I sure hope she keeps her curls and her blue eyes.  They are just too cute!

 

On the way to the park..
.look at my curls and blue eyes!

I'm so glad that I have taken 12 weeks off of work to enjoy Caroline. This has been wonderful maternity leave.  I wouldn't trade this time with her for the world.  We have been getting out the house and enjoying lunch with friends, doing a little shopping, and just hanging around the house waiting for the boys to come home!  She has been sleeping through the night which has helped everyone stay on schedule.  She has been a real joy.  As the doctor told me today, when you have a good baby, it makes you want to have another one!  However, I found out the daycare payment for two, and I must say that is wonderful birth control for now!

Curly top

Caroline's Two Month Stats:
Weight- 10lbs 8oz (25th percentile)
Height- 23 inches (70th percentile)
Head Circumference- 15 inches (41st percentile)
BMI- 14

Grinning Girl

25 months 10.12.12

Tillman loves the "mow mow"...
even tells it night night!

Tillman moved up to the official potty training class this month.  We hear he "fights" with one of the girls in the class to use the pink potty.  Tillman doesn't know his colors yet, but she must. I checked this potty out, and I can see why it is popular.  It has a lid, fold up seat, and the works.  All it needs is plumbing.  We have to bring "Pull Ups" to school now, so time is of the essences for Tillman to be full potty trained (those diapers are expensive). He does really well with potty training at school, but at home, not so great!  It also doesn't help that he is on an antibiotic right now, and you know what those do to the tummy....

 

Tillman eating with his class-pancakes in a bowl...
breakfast of champs!

Tillman is working on his colors too.  He thinks everything is YELLOW ("L Low"). I think it is more that he like to say yellow than he really thinks everything is yellow.  We are working hard on colors right now.  I think he knows how to say red, green, and blue...oh and yellow, but those colors he is just not interested in learning right now.  We are working hard. I feel like we name the color of everything before saying the object, but he only repeat the object name (We'll say "blue truck" and he'll reply "truck...ugh!)

T loves to vacuum too! Wonder how long that will last.
 I let him play with this for an hour...he did a good job!
Any time we can combin cleaning and play, it's a plus!

He has started saying "I love  you," good morning ("mornin'"), Amen, trailer (because the mow mow rides on it), cartoons ("Ka-toons") and he has learn pumpkin ("pu kin")!  He is learning all kinds of words now...it is hard to keep up.

At the farm looking at all the animals!

At school he is also eating in the cafeteria.  This is a big step since he is sitting at the big kid table. I was amazed to see him sit down and not run around like a crazy kid.  He is very calm mannered at school, but at home, he is all over the place.  His classroom has learning centers and they have a set schedule for the day.  There is still lots of play, but now they have structured learn time.

At the park...already too cool to smile for mom!

Tillman continues to struggle with his sinus/allergies.  He has been to the doctor twice since Caroline was born.  We've scheduled an ENT appointment to get him checked out by a specialist.  His ears are clear, so the ear tubes are working well.  He continues to have a "snotty nose" that doesn't really go away...ever!  When we took him to the doctor this past time, Tillman weighed 26.5 lbs!

 

 

Tillman is also starting to love certain toys and characters.  We are just now noticing this with him.  He is going to start writing a Christmas and birthday list soon.  Tillman LOVES Elmo and Ernie, and Choo Choos (Thomas the Train). He also loves to play with trains and trucks.  He is also starting to like picking out his clothes too.  Today he is wearing Elmo, and he went into school showing everyone his Elmo on his pants.  He'll wear trains tomorrow!

We thought the sleep sack would never go away, but I think it is being phased out.  He has been wiggling out of the neck of them.  He has busted the zipper on one.  Tillman sometimes request to be put in it, and other times he goes to bed in just his clothes.  Crazy how he is breaking himself of his own habit.  We tried to put him to bed in the past without it on, but he would wake up crying.  I guess he was teaching us he would do it on his own time!

Tillman and his buddy, Cole

Another BIG thing for us is we are starting to go out to eat more with him.  It doesn't always turn out to be blissful, but we are getting out more.  It does make it easier to go with others who have children.  When we go just the four of us, we have time to see other staring at us and wondering if we are going to control our kids (mostly those people who don't have children). When we go with other, we have so much chaos going on at our own table, we don't have time to look around!  We've gone out with another family from the daycare twice, and I'm glad we did as it makes me more confident to take the kids to places....we can't sit at home until they are teenagers before we take them out...my cooking isn't that good!

T with the pumpkin trailer!