A little more....

Justin lasted 4 hours that 1st night in his bunk bed. He hasn't been back again, until tonight. We bought him a Toy Story bed set. His choice. It was between that and Spiderman. Toy Story colors go better in his room, so I'm glad Spidey lost.

Lily stood by herself, for probably 10 seconds, on the spare-room bed this past Saturday. Tonight she did it for a couple of seconds on the basement floor after she let go of the couch to mess with a toy. Last night she nearly sent me into cardiac arrest. I had taken the kids into the basement and had gone back upstairs to make myself dinner (they had already eaten). I was upstairs 15 min., and Lily was at the bottom of the stairs crying the entire time. I was almost done when her crying, all of a sudden, sounded closer. I thought, "Oh no! She's trying to climb the stairs!" I turned around to walk toward the stairs and there she was! She was on the last top step w/her hands on the kitchen floor. I nearly died! Not only had she never climbed 1 step up to this point, but here she had climbed the entire set of stairs (12) w/o falling....THANK YOU GOD! It is time to put the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs now.

Breaking News!!!

As you can see we have new-used bunk beds for the boys. We have had them for over a week, and Austin has been sleeping up top, and really likes it. Justin has still been sleeping with us, knowing that I plan to buy him "special" sheets for his bottom bed. However, tonight he said he was sleeping on the bunk bed, and he is! I 'll let you know later if he stays there all night.















Lily info: her first tooth is the lower right. And she showed today that she understands peek-a-boo. I tossed a pair of pants on her head while I was changing her, and she pulled them off. I said "peek a boo" and she put them back on her head, and then pulled them off...you get the idea.

Lily updates....

Ok, I'll work from most recent milestones to older ones, as best as I can remember. She has her first tooth (a couple of days ago (3/21) it finally broke through), she sat in a stroller like a big girl yesterday (3/18) when we went to the zoo for the first time this year (And then we went today (3/19) also because it was soooo nice!!). She has been waving for the past few days, she will sometimes 'silly' blink if she's asked to (that started Monday when Shelli came over to take some pics), she has been bear crawling regularly, clapping like a cheerleader, holding onto things and walking since she turned 8 months, she eats lots of different things, baby talks a lot, and loves to be played silly-with by her brothers.

2nd zoo visit











2nd zoo visit was w/Aunt Therese &Savannah











1st zoo visit of 2010 was with Great-Grandma Sue












What was left of the construction snowman early last week. So sad....














Lily's BFF!











Lily playing at Eastland Mall play area.

To binky, or not to binky? That is/was the question. And stuff....

As you can see by the picture, Lily has taken up the binky. She is only 7.5 months old in the picture, so I suppose it's never to late to start. My dilema; the boys never used one and I have never been a fan of them. I didn't really try much with Austin. I felt a little guilty that maybe I had short-changed him so I tried a smidge harder with Justin (and he was VERY fussy at night his first 3 weeks). Lily became very fussy heading into week 3, so I tried more often, and she would take it for 1-2 min. and then out it would come, and then she wouldn't want to nurse because she thought I was trying to fake her out again. So, altho I tried more often with her early on, she still wasn't a binky baby. So, a couple of weeks ago she was being unusually quiet, and when I went to check on her, I found her asleep w/Matt with a binky in her mouth. The rest, as they say, is history. She doesn't take it at night since she sleeps with me and nurses when she wants. She won't take it if she is already really upset. But it seems it holds off the meltdowns.












Oh so pretty! (Lily, not mommy!)











Winter 2010













A few pics of the kids trying to play in the deep snow we had a couple of weeks ago. It was soooo funny that I never went back inside. I just watched, laughed, and occasionally rescued.





















Austin was insistent on making a snow man this year. So, after we had some rain that reduced the amount in the backyard, it was easier to work with. Justin watched from the dining room window. After he had such a difficult time walking in it several days earlier (see above pics), he decided he had no interest in going back out.








Only in a construction household does the snowman have a safety harness and hard hat!

Where is my......

Are you familiar with the feel & learn books that go something like, "That's not my penguin (or puppy, or monster, etc.), his beak is too smooth." After several pages of that type of interaction, the last page says something like, "That's my puppy (or whatever)! His nose is sooo squashy!" You get the idea. Well, I have a story of my own. Here goes:



Where are my Eamon and Austin? That couch and that cushion are too empty.












Where are my Eamon and Austin? That bed is too cold.














Where are my Eamon and Austin? That bed is too small.














There are my Eamon and Austin! In my big, warm, FULL bed with the rest of my sleeping family :)












And see that little white space between Lily and Justin? That is where I crawled out of to write this great story.

A quick update on Lily before she goes to college....

Lily is 7 months and 1 week old, and today she pulled herself to a standing position from the floor using the couch. Now, let's go back a little. Right around the time she was at the 7 month mark she had started trying to stand/walk by crawling in the bear stance or frog squat positions. She also went from infant babble to baby babble. Mamamama is common, along with dadadada, and many other sounds that will be words sooner than I care to think. She also started a fake whine/cry/fuss......thank you Austin & Justin for those influences. Also, thanks to Austin and Justin (and probably mommy and daddy as well....sadly) she has started a loud scream to get your attention...not the sad baby kind, the loud annoying kind. She has also been picking things up and putting them in her mouth and then crawling with them. Things like socks, small toys, and baby doll clothes. She looks like a puppy.

The boys went sledding for the first time this past Sunday afternoon. Justin never wanted to go down, but each time he did he smiled from ear to ear and said when it was all over, "That was fun." Austin wanted to go down many times, but each time he went down he cried. He did say later he wanted to do it again. Next time we'll nap them first. Lily went down w/me one time, and cried from start to finish. Again, nap needed. Hopefully pictures soon. They are on my Facebook account.

Lily crawling, and a few funnies (or not so much?)

Austin to daddy in the car one night: "Daddy, which way did we turn?" Daddy, "Left." A-- "I wanted to turn right." D-- "That's the way we go to church, but tonight we're taking the highway." A-- "But I wanted to take the low-way."

Austin to me in the living room while pretending he was going somewhere: "Bye, I am going to hell." Mommy-- "We don't pretend to go to hell, it's a very bad place." (edited version) A-- "No, I mean hell at home."