Teeth, Toy Story, Toilets, and More

Last night I got to spend a few hours with my two boys. Justin woke up a little before midnight. Rob got him settled again, but it didn't last. I went back in a little while later (while nursing Tiny) and attempted to get him settled again. Justin coughed, Tiny woke up, and and the two boys started laughing at each other. I walked Tiny to get him back to sleep and sat with Justin for two rounds of his music. Wide awake still. Well, HE was wide awake. I sure was not. My arms were getting tired too as I was holding Tiny and wiping his runny nose so he could breathe. I decided to ask Justin if he wanted to go downstairs and rest on the couch with me and watch a show. He was more than willing. I put in Finding Nemo, something Justin has never watched more than about five minutes of. I figured it would last longer than an episode of Dora and maybe lull him to sleep. Nope. He was only semi-interested, but his cough kept him from falling asleep. I put in Toy Story, a show he has not seen before, and put Tiny down in his pack and play beside us. Poor baby got Justin's cold and is coughing too. He would settle himself though, so finally Justin got to rest on me. Maybe NOW he would fall asleep. Shortly into the movie, Justin exclaimed, "It's Buzz! I play with Buzz at school!" I guess instead of liking the toy because of the movie, Justin likes the movie because of the toy. He was hooked! Kind of funny since earlier this week I was talking to Kai's mom (Kai LOVES Buzz) and said Justin hadn't even wanted to watch Toy Story yet. Justin's coughing started again and disturbed Tiny. It was about 4 AM. I got Rob to deal with Justin while I tried to get Tiny back to sleep. I only got about two hours before Tiny decided he needed to poop and be up for the morning. Now it is 10:30. Tiny is taking a nap and I am sitting with a cranky Justin on the couch watching Toy Story again. He loves it. I opted NOT to try church with the boys today. When Rob gets back I hope that Justin will be ready for a nap and I can also sleep , leaving Rob with just Tiny to deal with. We shall see.



Justin got a new hat this week. Actually, he got two new hats, but I only have pictures of him with one of his new hats. I am happy that he wears them outside. It isn't a battle like it seems to be with so many kids. I think a lot of that has to do with Grandma being consistent last summer. Hat came off, Justin went inside. Some days here he doesn't need a hat, but in Namibia it will be critical! He has been really good about sunscreen too. That kind of surprises me because he hates lotion. Sunscreen is very similar as far as I'm concerned. I told him that we need sunscreen to keep his body safe in the hot sun and he doesn't complain. In fact, he would probably protest if I didn't put it on him.



Tiny still isn't crawling, but he manages to get around somehow. He raises himself on his arms, throws his rear in the air, and lunges forward. If there is something available, he will push with his feet to get some movement. He doesn't like to stay put. If interesting things are going on around him, he wants to be a part. In this picture, Daddy and Justin were having fun without him and he wanted to join in. After I took the pic, we let him loose. He has four teeth in, but four more are following. They make him miserable, and the rest of us suffer too.

This past week Justin has peed in the toilet four times. He has ASKED to sit on the toilet, and then peed. Good sign, right? I should be toilet training him. Great if we weren't moving in first week in September. We won't be in our new house until the end of October. That means lots of flying and lots of hotels. Sure, I want to be on a 20 plus hour trip to Namibia and working on toilet training--NOT! Maybe if he is interested he can have pullups at Grandma and Papa's house.

I think I will put up more of Justin's summer camp pictures on facebook. Enjoy!

Gargles and Dogs

Tiny makes the funniest little gargling noise. I think he sounds like some cute Star Wars type creature. Not an ewok, but something cute. I was so excited to get this on video, but unfortunately it didn't work out so well. He likes to throw his big head around and it got him a bit off balance. You can hear his heartless parents laughing in the background when he accidentally rolls over and it scares him. It was just kind of amusing because he does lose his balance so often because of his head. Whether he is sitting, being held, or on his stomach, Tiny likes to get that head back as far as it can be thrown.


FINALLY I was able to get a little of the gargle noise. It is much cuter when he is doing it happily than when he is doing it while crying.

Justin loves to read books to himself. Go, Dog, Go! is one of his current favorites. Here is the part where he has to stop and explain that the dogs do not match the trees that they are in. Guess I have him doing a little too much sorting and matching. I am turning him into an obsessive little monster.



This is one of Justin's favorite parts. He likes the "Do you like my hat?" dialogue between the two dogs. He even acts it out. Beware! It is hard to know if you are supposed to like his hat or not. Heaven forbid you like it when you shouldn't or vice versa. I like when he acts out this part of the book with his toys and changes the voices for the two different dogs.

Here he is with a segment from the dog party part of the book.

Too bad the lighting wasn't very good, but Justin is not one to let me move him to a better place to get things on video. You would think he would cooperate so he could watch himself later. He loves watching himself.

Quilts, Water, Jumps, and Cheers

This week Tiny got the little quilt that Meredith made for him. He really likes the fabric on it. Sometimes he tries to pick up the white dots off of the brown background. I am not sure if that is cute or sad because he obviously isn't ever successful. He has managed to grab onto the quilt and pull it over on top of himself as he rolls. That takes talent. Probably more talent if you are doing it intentionally, but still, we are all impressed, Tiny.


Justin continues to like to help in the kitchen. It can be hard to come up with jobs for him to do. Rob thinks that at some point in his life Justin will accidentally reveal to the world the strange things his mother has assigned him to do. Yesterday while I was cutting up watermelon I gave Justin some watermelon rind and his little scrub brush. I asked him to clean it so we could throw it away. He must think I am quite the clean freak! He did an okay job.
Doesn't Tiny look so cute relaxed and chilling with Dad on the couch? I ordered him some new shoes. He rarely wears socks long because he can (and does) pull them off.

Even though Justin gets plenty of time at the wading pool, Tiny does not. We went over for a bit on Saturday and Ryan LOVES it. I am going to need to find some kind of baby pool float for our pool in Africa.

Tiny likes the jumper, but he ADORES big brother Justin. Whenever he is upset I know Justin can cheer him up IF Justin is willing, I try to make it fun. Here he is cheering on the tiny jumper. Two different short segments.

Funny Boys

Justin loves letters and numbers. His ability to count helps make things easier for me at times. He understands first, next, last or #1, #2, #3. He doesn't have the fine art of negotiation down very well. When told that he has a two minute time out, he will often give me a counter offer of five minutes. Whatever works for him!

Poor Justin was having a hard time counting the train track pieces when they were in an oval. He is generally a pretty accurate counter, but since the oval leads back into itself he recounted the same pieces and made it past 20, but not quite to 30.



Tiny, unlike Justin at the same age, understands that the jumperoo is for jumping and not just standing. Ryan does have the advantage of a cheering section though. Go Tiny!

Patience Is a Virtue

Lately Justin has been trying my patience. I don't know what it is with him. I know that he has had a cold for the past couple of weeks, but I am starting not to be so sympathetic about that anymore. He can be SO obnoxious. I find myself sometimes hoping that he has a horrible ear infection or is in a great deal of pain because that would explain WHY he has been so hard to deal with. I don't want it to be a long lasting phase. I don't want my child to be a brat. I am trying to have patience and to make sure I spend quality time with him to minimize the jealousy he feels towards Tiny. He can be such a psycho Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde. Charming and sweet one minute, spawn of the devil monster the next. It drives me crazy! I never know what Justin I will see!

Today he had a meltdown when we had to come inside. I have a rule that if he runs away from me, we have to come in. I can't chase after him very well when I have Tiny and it is basic safety that I trust he will come when I call him and not run off in the opposite direction. He thought he was being funny until I dragged him home kicking and screaming. I have discovered that when I start to video him, Justin calms down a bit. Guess he doesn't like to have a record of his misbehavior. Of course he doesn't cooperate doing cute things for me either...

After we had time to settle down from that incident, I asked him if he would like to make cookies with me. We had a pretty good time. Luckily, they weren't the best cookies ever because we could never duplicate the recipe exactly. The recipe called for 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar, I fill up a 1 cup measuring cup almost full and Justin gets most of it in the bowl. We needed two eggs, Justin got about 1 1/4 into the bowl so we added another. The whole process was kind of like that. He had a fun time though. He loves helping in the kitchen. I don't mind if I have the time. It can take me longer to reheat leftovers than to make the original meal when I have my helper.

Yesterday Tiny sat independently. He may have done it before, but this time it was long enough that I can say it officially. Before I never knew if he needed to be more upright, sit for a longer time period, catch himself and sit back up if he started leaning... Poor Ryan doesn't get a lot of time to practice though. So often I am protecting him from his overzealous brother. Justin wants to wrestle and play rough with Ryan, and Ryan would like nothing better. Justin does not get that Tiny isn't physically able to do that. When Tiny hits or kicks Justin, Justin gets mad at him and retaliates. Seems intentional to him I guess.

The playground is closed through the 14th of June because they are going to take out some of the old equipment and put in some new things. It is going to be a loooooooooong ten days. We usually spend quite a bit of time out there every day. The slide and the see saw are going to be replaced with newer, safer ones. The "bus" is going to be replaced with something else. It will be hard to beat the bus for fun. All the kids loved it.
I do love the way my boys laugh together and at each other. I love seeing how Justin goes from being totally clueless about a puzzle to doing it independently. I like trying to figure out his rules for Twister. I love Justin's big hugs and Tiny's smiles and squeals. I am amazed each day at how quickly Ryan is growing. He is my ravenous beast. He loves rice cereal and tolerates green beans, peas, carrots, and squash. He likes bananas and absolutely devours mashed potatoes. I don't remember Justin enjoying solids so much. It is hard to keep food away from Tiny.

Video Clips of Rolling and Not Rolling

Even though Tiny has been rolling for awhile, I still want to catch it on video. I have not had success. He is more interested in me and the camera. When I turn my back, he immediately rolls.


Justin, on the other hand, is all too happy to show off for me. I am sure you are so impressed to see a two year old roll. ;)



I find it more interesting to watch how Justin plays with his toys. These stacking/nesting cups have numbers on them. It is helpful since Justin is about as good at visual spatial things as I am. Poor child! He has fun with them though. Warning: probably boring video if you are not Justin's grandmother, mother, or Justin himself.

Playing Outdoors

Now that spring seems to be here to stay, I have been spending a lot of time outside with the boys. The nearby playground is a favorite spot. Justin has really learned to maneuver the playground equipment well since we have been back in Japan. He owes a lot of that to his dad. I hate seeing him climb because that can mean falls! There have been some, but thus far nothing major. See how brave I am letting him go into the treehouse?
Justin really enjoys having other kids out on the playground with him. He has a lot of fun with Sammy, who is about Justin's age. I hope that in Namibia we are able to find some kids for Justin to socialize with. It is good to see him having so much fun doing such simple things.

Sammy's dad was out on the playground the other day and took some pictures. I think this one really captures my Justin. The poor little kid always looks a little bit neglected. I swear he doesn't stay clean and groomed for more than five seconds! Sometimes I take advantage of this and don't put forth much effort. The other day when I told Justin that I needed him to come over so I could comb his hair, he told me that he didn't need to be handsome because he wasn't going to church, he was going to the play park! True indeed, but it would be nice if he didn't look like he was in charge of his own grooming.

Tiny is still a pretty mellow guy. Once he starts crawling I don't know if he will be as content to just sit in the stroller. He loves watching Justin. I admit, Justin is entertaining!

Justin is intrigued by the big kid swings. I should point out that I do NOT push him high, or really very much at all. He is not ready for that and I don't want him to land on his head. He likes to swing with me or in the baby swings though. He can never get as high as he would like.

Tiny still likes things on his head when he sleeps. Don't cover up those arms and legs too much or he gets upset though. What a strange little kid. People look at me like I am a bit weird when I throw a burp rag or lovey over his face when he is screaming. It often means he is tired and needs his face covered. Sometimes he instantly stops crying.

One day when Tiny was asleep, I decided to help Justin with a "big boy" puzzle. Good, quiet activity, right? Not when he gets excited about getting pieces to fit. Needless to say, his enthusiastic cheering woke up the baby. :(

Sunday, March 22, 2009

I wish I had a better way to keep track of the cute things that Justin and Ryan were doing. I just haven't found a way that works well for me. I am going to make a goal to try to update the blog once a week.

Justin was challenging in church today. When he was removed to the hall he kept asking to go to the bathroom. Since he is in diapers and we aren't working on toilet training it seemed a bit odd for him to request the bathroom. I asked if he wanted his diaper change. Justin HATES getting his diaper changed, so I was surprised when he said that he did. I changed his diaper without any complaint from him. When finished, he said, "Mommy, nursery class!" He had remembered that I try to change his diaper before taking him to nursery, so if he got me to change him it MUST be time for nursery, right? I explained that the nursery was still closed and that Sister Brown, his teacher, was still in sacrament meeting. Ever the problem solver, Justin told me, "go get Sister Brown." Of course. Why hadn't I thought of that?

Tiny is getting bigger and bigger everyday. I haven't seen him roll from back to stomach, but I have left him on his back and returned to find him on his stomach. I don't know how intentional it is. He really likes his side. Ryan is starting to coo and laugh more and more every day. He is amused by Justin (who isn't?) and almost anything that silly Mommy does. I am enjoying him so much. He is happier than Justin was when he was this age. I also have more confidence and am not so stressed about what others will think about how I am parenting. Tiny makes such cute cooing and gurgling sounds. He also has a little whine that lets you know he wants attention.

Justin loves reading and being read to. Of course that doesn't mean that he can stay by you when you are reading to him. There are "scary" parts in books. Did you know that in Are You My Mother? they call a steam shovel a snort? Pretty scary stuff! Justin remembers when the "scary" parts are coming and retreats to a safe distance for those parts. It cracks us up when he will ask for a DVD or a book and then hide behind something for protection.

I am being brave and allowing Justin more and more freedom on the playground. It is hard not to be overprotective. He trips over his own shadow and has many boo boos that he feels are serious. One of these days he will have a serious boo boo. For now Ryan spends his time at the playground napping. It works out well. Ryan gets in a good nap without interruptions from Justin and Justin gets some energy out.

I wonder why I chose WASHABLE ink for Justin. Oh my! I try to let him experiment with different art materials. He can make such a mess though.

I love this picture of Tiny in the tub. It makes me laugh. I swear I didn't photoshop his head on another body. That's what it looks like though, doesn't it! He wasn't cooperating for pictures at all. I kept trying to keep him somewhat covered up and he wanted nothing to do with the washcloth on his body. Why be in the tub if you can't be completely naked and free? Tiny really loves the tub. Even better is being in the tub with Mommy (the real tub, not the little blue one) so he can enjoy the deep water. That is a rare occurence though because Justin would be so jealous if he found out.

I noted on Tiny's blue tub that it has several specific warnings. You know the obvious like don't leave your baby unattended, but one I wasn't expecting. It says not to use the infant tub in an adult sink or bathtub. Where exactly am I supposed to use it then? I hope the tub police don't come get me.

Justin was SUPER cute in the tub. He was singing along and did a Justin original. Then he went on to do his version of "Dem Bones" which included his penis being connected to his be-bo and his thigh. Rob says that must be some penis! Justin sure thinks so. He ran off naked