Kiddies, Don't Start the Engines

We took a family outing to the car show at the Baltimore Convention Center today.  The kids had a grand time sitting in the cars, pressing buttons, and "driving".  I don't encourage this kind of exploring in my car since it usually leads to loud horn honking and an explosion of heat, music, turn signals, wipers at full blast, and four-ways flashing when I turn on my car after said exploration.

It was somewhat relaxing to let them push and turn without causing any damage to the car or them.  

That's my girl, two hands on the wheel.

Looks like Daddy in his manual car days- one hand on the
wheel, the other on the gear shift.  Daddy will be the
one and only one to teach him stick shift.

My finest moment as a parent (at the car show) was watching Evie attempt to put on the seat belt as soon as you got in the car.  Model, model, model parents of little ones.  They. Are. Watching.

We always buckle up in the car.  

Our bank account thanks our kids for causing enough distraction for Daddy that he couldn't seriously look at any cars.  Note- we are NOT looking for a new car.  We both LOVE our cars.  However... there was one car that caught our attention... besides the minivan with the vacuum in the back.  Brilliant Honda.

Braylen thought this golden rod colored car was pretty cool

We got a little glimpse at our future drivers

I can just see Emily and Evie driving away in a jeep
14 years from now.

You totally know Evie will be the driver, telling
Braylen to stop changing the song.

Or worse, make him sit in the back.  

Today was "family day" at the car show.  I'm not quite sure what they had today over other days that made it family-like.  Maybe the person dressed up as the Geico gecko?  Evie was terrified of that thing.  She insisted I hold her as we walked past it and once I put her down, she checked behind her shoulder numerous times to make sure it wasn't coming after her.  Noted.  Too young for any shows or events that have "real life" characters.

To top off our fun morning as a family, the kids gave us the afternoon "off" by sleeping close to 3 hours, a true sign of a successful outing.

Go Team USA!

Tonight we will watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics with the rest of the world!  To get us in the mood, we brought out the team USA warm ups for a one time appearance

One time appearance because they are
slight floods

We got these warm ups as a hand me down many months ago and luckily it's another Olympic year to bring them out.  

Good thing we know which country
he is supporting from behind

Braylen would definitely win a gold medal in the sport of being cute

I'm pretty sure his warm up will be WAY
more fashionable than what team USA
will be wearing tonight

My two studs

He would also medal in the sport of best new walker

We are hoping The Games will be a time of peace for our world as we come together during these special two weeks.  You know where to find us each and every night... cheering on team USA!

I couldn't help but think about the last Olympics with Evie.  Evie was just a few months older than Braylen is now.  Time to get creative and do some Olympic themed crafts... (ok, Pinterest Mamas-- comment with ideas)

He's a Walker

Good-bye crawler, hello walker!

My adorable toddler has decided in the last few days that crawling is a thing of the past.  Walking is way cooler.  His loud footsteps warn me he is coming to find me.  Braylen moves in a very controlled manner; he takes small steps and pauses to balance.  He seems even steadier when he is holding an object.

Braylen spent most of today toddling through the dining room and kitchen as well as practicing picking up an object from the floor.  He seemed to be practicing different ways of bending down to grab the object then how to get back up to walking.  My favorite is the deep knee bend squat; burn off that baby thigh fat!

I love this age!  I love opening the bathroom door in the morning and having him stroll into the room with a big grin (which quickly turns to whines) and open arms for me to give him a morning snuggle.  I love how he walks over to Evie and hands her her phone or some other toy he knows she wants.  I love how he walks over to Evie's bed in the morning and wants nothing more than to hear his sister's voice.  I love hearing him say "TEEETTTTT, TEEEETTTT!" as he toddles as quickly as he can to the bathroom to brush his teeth.  I love that I took him outside to walk around the neighborhood circle for the first time this weekend.  I love having a walker!

When Braylen started to crawl, that was a big game changer, in a negative way almost.  Having a walker is another major game changer, but positive one.  There will be new challenges chasing two walkers on the playground this Spring (if it ever comes... thanks Phil), yet I am so happy to know that I can put Braylen down and he won't be like a pig, rolling in the mud.  I am excited about this next phase in our lives; my play date options just multiplied :)

The Winter of the Polar Vortex

The Weather Channel has given us some interesting meteorological terms to describe the crazy weather we've witnessed in Maryland over the past few years.

First, there was the "Derecho" that hit us in late June 2012

Derecho:
a widespread, long lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a land-based, fast-moving band of sever thunderstorms.  Derechos can carry hurricanic or tornadic force and can deliver torrential rains and perhaps flash floods as well as strong winds

My definition for derecho: a really, really bad thunderstorm with hurricane strength winds that left us without power for days during some of the hottest days of the summer.  The reason marriage counselors probably saw a spike in calls in early July.

Now there is "Polar Vortex"

Polar Vortex:
a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern hemisphere, which sits over the polar region during the winter season

Well, thanks to global warming, very cold air decided to visit Maryland for most of the month of January.

Let me give you my definition of Polar Vortex: frickin' freezin'

Here are five, among many, results of a Polar Vortex winter:

1.  You will need an extra 10 minutes to get out the door (and since kids already tack on 15 minutes already, you might as well round up to about 30 minutes total) thanks to putting on a scarf, hat, hood over the hat, boots, making sure your pant legs are in or out of the boots depending on the look you want to achieve, gloves, making sure your gloves are tucked under your coat sleeves, then you realize the diaper bag is clear across the room and since your boots are covered in rock salt, you take them off to get the bag, then the gloves need to come off to put back on the boots... and then you need to do all of this with two kids that you are chasing around the house.

My crew about 95% ready to go

2.  Every car is the same color shade- rock salt gray

Just another day in the arctic

3.  High of 15 degrees?!  I refused to take the kids out of the house when I first saw these frigid temps.  By week two of them, I realized we would never get out of the house if I kept using the line "it's too cold to take the kids out".  8 degree mornings?   No problem!  We. will. get. out. of. the. house. before. we. drive. each other. crazy.

4.  My car's MPG went from 20 to 14 due to excessive idling in my parking spot every time I want to leave the house.  A few mornings I wasn't sure if the engine was going to turn over.  Our next house (even if our next house is in a retirement community) WILL have a garage.  No ifs, ands, or buts about that.

5.  The brilliant invention of the heat pump is not so brilliant in a polar vortex.  I didn't hear our heat click off until 11 AM one morning.  Thankfully, we have budget billing for our electric bill or we might need to get a loan to pay our electric bill this month.

Please COMMENT (wait, what's that?  I can leave a comment on here just like I can on Facebook?  WOW!) on your favorite polar vortex inconvenience.

I remember wondering in the winter of 2011-2012 if we were ever going to see snow again.  Remember that one, mid-Atlantic-ers?  I didn't bring my heavy winter coat out once.  Today, the temperature went above freezing (mid 40's!!) and I was temped to put my window down in the car and jam out to a good driving tune.  Seriously, I saw multiple cars with car windows half down today.  All I know is we are going to be outside like no one's business when warm weather hits.

Whatever Phil must do on Sunday to predict Spring is right around the corner, he better do.  I cannot take 6 more weeks of this nonsense.  This polar vortex stuff is for the penguins.  (I am stealing this line from Laura S's blog.  it makes me chuckle)

1 Year (+37 days) Stats

As soon as we brought out the camera,
he said "cheeee"

This shirt is right on.  Our "little BIG MAN" had his 1 year well visit today.

Weight:  22 lbs. 8 oz (60%)
Height:  31 inches (74%)
Head:  46 cm  (39%)

My baby boy is so normal, I can't barely contain my excitement.  74th percentile for height?!  That CAN'T be right!  But darn if I am going to recheck it.  I am going to bask in these numbers for a long time.

so happy to have a child that eats and gains weight!

And just for the record- Braylen is a mere 2 ounces behind his sister.  Evie's days are limited, especially since she is recovering from the stomach bug and hasn't eaten anything substantial in the last 48 hours, of being the "heavy".  I will not bask in her numbers.

Braylen had four shots today.  He was so sad.  I did notice another tooth coming in on the bottom as he was screaming in my arms.  He'll be up to seven!

Seeing this cutie scream and cry is difficult
to hear and see :(

At one of his first appointments, Dr. Burke commented on his frenulum looking tight.  He has obviously nursed well enough to gain weight and never appeared to be struggling, so we never did anything about it.  Well, it doesn't seem to be stretching as it should and the poor boy's tongue is "forking" at the end as a result.  So it's back to Dr. Goldstone, the ENT, on Friday to have child #2 get a little snip, snip of the frenulum.  Four shots and a trip to the ENT all in one week, are we nuts?  I hope Dr. Goldstone can fix the problem and explain why he keeps getting ulcer looking things at the tip of his tongue.  I think he is rubbing his tongue over his two bottom teeth.  So maybe he isn't 100% "normal"  :)

Braylen walks every day; he practices covering more distance by foot.  He is so darn cute when he toddles.

and he's cute when he falls

I love having a boy.  I know some moms really want a girl to dress them all fancy and trendy.  I, on the other hand, enjoy the simplicity of dressing a boy.  It's so easy to pack his clothes and decide on an outfit.

Goodbye baby clothes, hello little boy
sweaters and pants

I wouldn't call Braylen a master of destruction... yet.  He does need to be watched closely though.

He likes to climb on chairs and tables

And pull things off the shelves

And if it's not apparent yet, I think he is just the cutest, "little BIG MAN" out there!

First Road Trip of 2014

With every new milestone that Braylen achieves, I mentally check off one less thing we need to bring on trips, whether it is to Target for 15 minutes, an overnight at another house, or a week in Ocean City.  I am happy to be beyond bottles, formula, and purees.  And we are now down a pack n play since Evie moved to a toddler bed.  Less crap to pack makes me less stressed and Jason much happier when it comes to packing the car.

Then why in the hell did we still need the roof top carrier to go to Erica and Robb's house for literally 18 hours?  AND they even have a toddler so that means no toys, diapers, bath gear, pack n play, etc.  

Embarrassing i tell you.

I blame Parker.  

Erica and Robb kindly allowed Parker to come along, saving us $45 to the dog sitter, but that meant his crate took up the entire trunk.  Could Parker sit between the two kids?  Probably.  Would we all make it there alive?  NO.  Jason would be yelling at Parker the entire time to settle down and I would be getting mad at Jason for being mad at Parker.  So, no, Parker will not sit between the kids.  He will sit in the trunk, in his crate, where he is the furthest away from Jason's sensitive ears.

So we went to Erica and Robb's new house in PA, near our old stomping grounds of Shippensburg University.  They have a lovely house and plenty of room for kids to play, dogs to roam, and everyone to have their own room for sleeping.  

It's been about 6 months since I last saw Erica and RJ.

July 2013- Boys were 7 months old

Ah, those were the days when we weren't chasing mobile boys.

Now we have crawling, standing, and cruising boys

My kids really enjoyed some new toys.  

Fighting over who is driving and who is pushing the car

Erica and I were soaked after all the splashing 

Good placement of the fish, RJ.

Jason and I went back and forth whether we wanted to bring a pack n play for Evie or try her in the blow up toddler bed.  We won't know what happens until we try, right?  Luckily the guest room had perfect size closet for the toddler bed.  We figured a big, empty room for her first time without rails could be scary

a tiny bit of space on one side

Apparently we really like to put our
kids in closets to sleep

Don't worry, the tot clock came (along with two video monitors and Braylen's sound machine...).  Evie did a great job staying in her bed until her clock turned yellow and didn't call for us (just 2 feet away in bed) until then.  I LOVE that clock.  Good bye two pack n play days!

We had such a fun time catching up with our college buds even if we were all in our pajamas at 7:30 PM and in bed by 10 PM.  Oh how times have changed!  I hope it's not another 6 months before we see them again. 

It's so hard... to say goodbye... 

Big Steps!

Braylen took his first unassisted steps this week!  We are so excited for Braylen!!

In addition to walking, he also added standing alone to his bag of tricks

There are definitely no "uh-ohs!" about walking here; we have been anxiously waiting for Braylen to start walking.  In his brief life, he has perfected a new skill quickly.  We'll see how soon it will be until we officially call him a "walker".

As we all enthusiastically say here, "Good job, Braylen!"