Great day!

I just remembered something I forgot to put in my previous post. Landen is tall enough now that he can reach the light switch in our room and his room. We used to be able to keep him out of rooms by keeping the light off, but now that he can reach the switch, that doesn't work anymore. It also doesn't work to keep the door shut either because he can turn the knob to open the door as well.

Today was a big milestone day for Adellyn. After supper I noticed that the tooth she has been working on broke through today. I knew it was going to happen soon because she has been really chewing and drooling for a while now. Another thing that she did today is she finally rolled from her back to her tummy. I really thought that she would do that a lot sooner since she rolled from tummy to back at only 3 weeks old.

It was a beautiful day today and we took advantage of it and went for a walk and played in the backyard for quite a while. We really needed the fresh air and Landen needed to run and play. He was so silly and had a blast playing outside. I can't wait for more nice weather!

Ready for spring!

I had to read my last full post to sort of pick up where I left off. In my last post I talked about Landen battling the ear infections and the good news is that it did finally clear up. We have been trying to keep his ears covered outside or keep him indoors on really cold days so that he doesn't end up with more problems. He seems pretty sensitive to cold and wind and he messes with his ears after being outside. I just make sure to give him claritin when I notice that he is stuffy.

Since last time we have had some extremely nice days and even more crappy days. March 16 was one of the nice days. I took the kids for a walk and decided to play at the park for a while. Landen had a lot of fun playing on the slides. He really liked it when I would take him down the big slide. He went down it by himself once and when he went back to the top again, he wouldn't come down. I finally climbed up to get him and when I was close enough to see him, he went down on his tummy feet first. I just stood there and watch for him to get to the bottom. Luckily he was going slow enough that he didn't fly off the end. March 21 was another really nice day and Elliot and Larry built the fort and slide portion of the swing set (with Landen's help...see the pictures). Before they finished, I took the kids to Kearney to see a college friend who was there for the weekend with her husband and new baby. Unfortunately, the next day was too windy for Landen to play on his slide. He did finally get to play on it a week later and he climbs the ladder like a pro! He is going to have a lot of fun in the back yard this summer. I will enjoy our time out there more since we are going to fence in our yard. The weather has really affected attitudes in the house. Landen constantly wants to go outside and doesn't understand why he can't. Since our house is so small, he doesn't have the room to run and he can't get rid of his energy, so we have been having some issues at nap time and bed time. I'm hoping the weather improves soon so we can go outside again.

In an attempt to keep this short, I'm going to just list some short stories. (they are not in any specific order.)
- Last week Landen saw a commercial with the Cadbury Bunny and now he attempts to copy the sound it makes when we ask him what a bunny says.
- As Landen watched me dip up some ice cream, he grunted [for me] every time I put the scoop in to get more ice cream. I guess he could tell how solid it was!
- I can no longer enjoy a cup of coffee without Landen stealing a drink from my cup. Crazy kid!
- Landen has been showing jealousy toward Adellyn even more now than when she first came home. I think he thinks that she gets more attention because I have to nurse several times a day. He typically hits her, throws toys at her or takes her toys away, and kicks her (not very hard, though). He also tries to pull her away from us if he wants attention. On the flip side, if she is in her cradle and starts to cry, Landen will run in and start rocking the cradle and she immediately stops crying. He also likes to make Adellyn laugh or smile...his favorite thing is when she is in the swing he grabs it and counts to 3 and pushes her hard on 3. She loves it.
-Sometimes when Adellyn falls asleep while nursing, Landen comes up and says, "Hiiii" in a very high pitched voice and startles Adellyn. Then he laughs because she jumps.
- Adellyn had cereal for the first time on March 22...4 1/2 months old. She eats great. She opens her mouth much better than Landen did when he first started eating cereal. She also sucks her thumb after every bite.
- She had her 4 month shots almost a month ago and she weighed 14lbs and was 24in. She ran a slight fever the next day. She also had a little bit of a stuffy nose the day of and a couple days following her shots.
- Sometime around the time that Adellyn turned 4 months, I noticed her pass a rattle from one hand to the other. I don't remember what age babies are supposed to be able to do that, but I think that skill is either right on or even ahead. I wish I would have written down the day that she did that.
- Adellyn has been chewing on toys a lot more lately. I felt her gums and I think she is getting a tooth.
- Adellyn has been getting better about standing when we hold her.
- She is also making a lot more and different cooing noises.
- She loves to giggle and is very ticklish, especially on the chin and neck.
- Landen is saying a lot more words, including: apple, cheese, truck, stinky (when he fills his diaper), peep peep (for a chicken or other birds).
- We have been able to get him to sit on his potty chair without a diaper a couple of times...funny story on the first time. He ran to the kitchen after a bath and peed on the floor. Instead of getting mad, I pointed to the puddle and said that we don't potty on the kitchen floor, we potty in the big boy chair. Then I took him to the bathroom and showed him and he sat on it without hesitation. He sat for a minute or two and then got up. I didn't expect him to go since he just went on the floor, but I considered it a success since it was the first time he sat on it without a diaper or pants on.



These are Adellyn's 3 month pictures. Enjoy.

funny videos

Here are some funny videos from the last couple of days. I will do a more detailed post later this week.



This video is from Sunday night at my parents' house. Landen didn't get a nap that day and when he was driving the toy Gator he kept falling asleep. Let's hope he doesn't do this when he starts driving larger vehicles!



I got Adellyn giggling this afternoon and I actually caught it on video. It's a little jerky because I was trying to keep eye contact with her so that she would keep giggling. Apparently she thought my laugh was pretty funny.

Illness and more

We have not had a very good week with Landen. He is still sick. On Saturday we noticed he was starting to cough. I kept thinking that it was just a cold that needed to run its course, so I put off taking him to the doctor. Besides that, he had just been to the doctor and just finished the antibiotic (it was a 5 day antibiotic). When it didn't get better by Wednesday (and he was driving me nuts with his crying and clinging) I decided to take him to the doctor again. It turns out that both ears were infected this time. So, he is on a third different antibiotic and this time the PA we saw said to start him on Claritan. She also said that I need to bring him back as soon as he is done with the antibiotic to make sure his ears are clear. So far he seems to be feeling a little better, but still fighting the cough and stuffy/runny nose. Luckily, Adellyn has not gotten sick.

Even though Landen has been feeling sick, it hasn't stopped Elliot and I from going on with our plans. Last Friday (a week ago today) Elliot decided that we needed to go to Kearney to look for a new pair of shoes for him. We didn't realize as we were leaving how much snow Kearney would get and as we got into town, it was coming down pretty hard. But, it turned out ok because it had quit snowing by the time we got done eating supper and the roads were mostly clear for the drive home. (I suppose that night out didn't help Landen any either.) Saturday we left the kids with Connie and Larry and went to the Cattlemen Banquet. It was a good night and both kids were in bed when we got home. Sunday, Connie and I went to the movie and the kids stayed home with Elliot and Larry. Monday Elliot's boss had a supper for New Age Employees, including spouses, and the sales people that were in town. My mom watched the kids that night and again they were both in bed when we got home. We had been needed to get out of the house without the kids!

In the last couple of days, Landen has started doing something new and funny. He runs or spins circles in the living room saying "ashes, ashes" and when he gets dizzy enough he falls down. Sometimes he gets mad when we start to sing "Ring Around the Rosey." I was thinking the picture of Landen sleeping in the chair. I have taken and posted several pictures of him sleeping recently. I think I have been doing that because it's funny that he will fall asleep in some of those places and positions considering how active he is. I guess that is also about the best time to get a picture of him, again because he is so active I don't always have time to grab the camera.

The only new thing Adellyn is doing is buzzing her lips and I posted a video of that earlier this week. I will probably have more to post about her next time. I should also have her 3 month professional pictures to share.

some videos

Here are some videos that I have been meaning to post for a while. I had to figure out how to use iMovie so that I could edit them a little.



This one of Landen is from Jan 23 and he is copying a funny laugh that Elliot does. He also showed a few words that he can say.



This one of Adellyn is from Jan 26 when she really start cooing. It is really dark, but we were going after the sound more than anything.



This is another one of Adellyn from yesterday. She figured out how to buzz her lips and I managed to catch it on video...she is already doing it a lot more today than yesterday.

Yet another long update...

Well, once again I have gone several weeks between updates. I could list several excuses, but I won't waste my time (or yours)! I ended my last post saying that Landen had an ear infection and pink eye. None of the rest of us got it, but Landen didn't completely get over it. We finished his antibiotics around the 16th, and about a week later (the 23rd) we went back to the doctor, so Landen is on a different antibiotic. I hope this ear infection gets cleared up this time...I'm ready for Landen to be less crabby! We have also been having some battles with Landen during meals. We are having troubles getting Landen to eat healthier meals. Lately he eats crackers with peanut butter, yogurt, apple sauce and dry cereal. Occasionally I can get him to eat chicken nuggets, re fried beans, and peaches. He won't even eat the Gerber meals that he used to love. I just have to keep reminding myself that he won't let himself starve and he will eventually start eating again. Unfortunately his poor diet has caused him to be constipated. When he does go, he does what we call the 'poopy dance' where he runs frantically around the house and occasionally stops to grunt. It is hilarious to watch. Landen is continuing to show us that he loves his little sister. He loves to give her kisses and has started trying to entertain her now that she has started to respond and watch him. He doesn't do a lot, but I have seen him talking to her and trying to give her a toy or tickle her. Landen has just recently figured out how to open the gate going to the kitchen. It is a hands free gate and he has known for a long time that you have to step on the pedal to open it, but he is not heavy enough to make it work. The other night he was jumping on it and it opened, so now he knows that he can make it open if he tries hard enough. I was hoping that he wouldn't be able to figure it out for a while...oh well.

Adellyn is growing so fast. She has really found her voice and will just sit in her swing and 'talk.' She screams and squeals and has the biggest grin on her face when she is happy. She is also very ticklish and occasionally lets out a giggle. She has also started sucking her fingers or thumb to soothe herself when she starts to get hungry. This is great for me because I don't have to feed her every time she wants a snack. She has even put herself to sleep sucking her fingers. She also examines her hands and feet. She gets pretty intense...her eyes get big and she sticks her tongue out as she stares. I'm still waiting for her to reach out and grab her toes...I saw her do it on ultrasound at 23 weeks! She also loves to watch Landen run around. Sometimes when she is nursing, she will stop and listen if Landen runs through the room screaming...then she grins at me when I ask her if she hears her noisy brother. She is at that age where the slightest unusual noise gets her attention. Speaking of age, we went to the doctor for her 3 month check-up on the 12th. She weighed 13 lbs and 0.5 oz and is 23.75 in. long. She is in or near the 75th percentile for both. I looked at Landen's size at 3 months, and she is 11oz smaller and .75 in. shorter. I thought she would be bigger. Her chubby cheeks make her look bigger than she is. On the 7th, we baptized Adellyn at the Saturday night church service. We thought that having fewer people at church would make it easier for us since Landen doesn't sit very well. Turns out that Adellyn was the bigger problem. Shortly after we got to the church, I tried to feed her and somehow that made her upset...possibly because of the nursing cover. Anyway, she started crying so hard that she could not stop crying. I have never seen her cry so hard and for so long. After she started to settle down, she still had that whimper from crying so hard. My Dad was able to get her to calm down and go to sleep. She slept until it was time to start the baptism. I was worried that she would start her hysterical cry again, but she was fine...I think she even liked having the water poured over her head. I did end up having to go feed her during church and then I just stayed out in the fellowship hall the rest of the time because Connie was out there with Landen. After church, we went to my parents house to continue the celebration...if you know the Becker's...any reason to get together with friends and family! After the kids got baths, Adellyn fell asleep on her tummy on the living room floor while we were playing the Wii! She was tired! The latest thing with Adellyn is that we have been working getting her to take a bottle. Elliot and I are going to a Cattlemen supper on Saturday and the kids can't come, so Adellyn had to be able to take a bottle. We finally got her to take it without fuss on Sunday and she has taken it twice since then...so Connie and Larry should get along ok. I and very proud of myself for going over 3 months without having to offer a bottle...but I am ready for a night away.

In the last few weeks, we have been out and about some. Other than several trips to Norton for doctor appointments, we went to Grand Island on Valentines Day...yes after a snow storm, but the roads weren't too bad. We agreed that the new van was a life saver with the DVD player. Landen usually gets really crabby after a day of shopping, but when I stayed in the van to feed Adellyn, Landen stayed in and watched DVDs. This gave him a chance to relax and he didn't get near as tired. He was also pleasant in Perkins for supper. He colored, cuddled with his blankie and ate really well...I was really proud of him! We also got a new stroller...a double stroller. It came just in time for the nice weather we had. The kids loved the last two days we had and they even fell asleep on our walk on Tuesday! When we got home, we continued to play outside until it was time to go in to fix supper. I really have spring fever after the nice days this week. Sorry this got so long!

busy but not...

When Adellyn was born, I told myself that I would do a little better about posting updates on a more regular basis...she is almost 3 months old and I am not doing so well. I knew I would be busy with 2 kids...but I never imagined how busy I would actually be. Of course, much of my time during the day is spent nursing and I can't really type very well with one hand and she wiggles too much to attempt to prop the computer up behind her. I'm forced to wait until they go to bed at night to update and sometimes that is pretty late...I need my sleep more than I need to update the blog.

We haven't done a lot since my last post. We have enjoyed the occasional nice day by going for walks and even played in the snow the one day it snowed last week. I guess the most exciting news since last time is that we finally decided to trade our Stratus in for a 2008 Chrysler Town & County Touring van. It's pretty cool for a "looser cruiser" (that is what a friend of mine calls mini vans). It has power sliding doors and lift gate (that means I can open them with a remote...awesome), dual DVD players, stow and go seats, ambient lighting, heated leather seats, and a handful of other cool things. If you can't tell, I really like it. The only thing I don't like it the color, but it had everything else we wanted including a reasonable price.

Adellyn is growing like a weed. I don't know how much she weighs now, but I am sure she is over 12 lbs. She is "talking" and smiling a lot. I have even gotten her to laugh a couple of times. I can't believe how much I have forgotten since Landen was that little and it hasn't even been that long ago. She is really strong and holding her head for longer periods of time. She is even starting to like her tummy time! She doesn't really like to be held by anyone but me...which is frustrating. Fortunately, she likes to just lay on the floor and look around. One evening my parents stopped by on their way through town and she cried as soon as my Dad picked her up and stopped as soon as he put her back down. When she allows someone to hold her, she is picky about how she is held...again, she likes to look around, so she has to face away from the person holding her. We have been working on her night time routine. She has gone from going to bed anywhere from 1 to 3am to going to bed closer to 11pm. (Tonight she went to be at 8pm...wow) She is so good in the mornings. She will lay in bed quietly while I get Landen up and fed and dressed. I have left her there for an hour or more and she just drifts in and out of sleep until I get her up. She has had a few mornings where I go to change her diaper and she is completely dry! Even after feeding her she is dry. Then she cries (as if in pain) and then she finally wets her diaper. Then she is fine the rest of the day. This has happened about 3 or 4 times. I called my doctor about it, but she didn't seem concerned unless she was running a fever, which she wasn't.

Whether I am nursing or not , Landen is often trying to lead me around the house saying "cookie," "bankie" (with the emphasis on the "kie" in both words), "o-wow-o-wow-o-wow-o" which means 'I want that' or simply whining about something that I can't figure out. A funny story about 'bankie': I was washing it yesterday and Landen was looking for it and trying to get me to find it for him. I told him it was in the wash and he wasn't very happy about that, but soon got distracted and forgot about it. After a while, I was on the phone with my mom and Landen heard the washing machine and ran back there to watch it. He could see his 'bankie' through the door and he ran to get me crying "bankie, bankie, bankie," (again with the emphasis on kie). I had to take him outside and push him in the swing to get him to forget about it. Luckily Adellyn had fallen asleep on the living room floor and would be fine while I was outside. He is getting better about playing in his room without me, which is nice. I try to go play with him as often as I can. I really just enjoy watching him and seeing how his imagination is growing. He is still playing with the shape sorter about everyday. He has also been stacking rings and he really examines them as he stacks. He is so intense when he plays and I love to watch him. When I think about it, I narrate for him by saying colors or shapes as he picks things up. I have noticed on several occasions that he has excellent hand eye coordination. He can eat a meal using a fork or spoon with little mess. He also has good balance. He climbs into his highchair on his own. He also climbs on this wobbly little table by the couch to look out the window and has not fallen yet (knock on wood!). I have even seen him balance on one foot for a few seconds before falling down! He has been able to get both feet off the ground when he jumps lately.

Yesterday, Landen had some green stuff in his eye and by the afternoon, it had gotten worse, so I called the doctor. They just called a prescription for eye drops into the pharmacy so I didn't have to drive to Norton. Today, I had a dentist appointment in Norton and Landen acted like he didn't feel good (he also woke up a midnight and 6am crying), so I made a doctor appointment for him. Turns out that he has an ear infection that spread to his eye and caused pink eye. I am really hoping the rest of us don't get it. I figured out that he probably picked up the bug last week when I took him to daycare (for the first time) for an hour while I ran some errands and picked up the van to test drive. I didn't leave Adellyn there because my friend who runs the daycare only had room for one more kid that day. I'm hoping that since I am nursing (and I'm on antibiotics for a sinus infection) that she doesn't get sick. She acted a little fussy tonight, but I think it was just a gassy tummy.

I get this feeling that I am forgetting something. I'll add more later if I remember. We are baptizing Adellyn this weekend, so I will post pictures from that.