Who Needs Candy when You Can Pet Doggies?

Yesterday was a pretty busy day. Brian woke up early and took my car to get inspected and get the oil changed at the dealership (I'm committed to keeping this car on its maintenance schedule). He then had to stop to look for a last minute costume piece for Wyatt (we wanted a beanie in case it got cold), and then had to pick up Noelle's dog food from the vet. As soon as he got home I had to get the kids loaded up in the car to take them to a Halloween party at work.

We went to the party at work where Wyatt was shy for a little bit, but then had fun with balloons and people playing with him. We came home and I learned that I had left the camera at work so I went back to get it (I was SO frustrated). After Wyatt woke up from his nap we had a big trip to make. Brian and I have been trying to get up to the NICU for the past few weeks to drop off some Reese's Cups and some brownies with a thank you card. We wanted to make sure we let the Doctors and Nurses there know how much we appreciate everything they did for our little girl during her 11 day stay. It was hard for Brian and I to make the walk back up to the NICU because it brought back a lot of rough memories, but it was much easier having Reese with us. Fortunately one of her nurses was there when we got there, so she was able to visit and say hello and comment on how big Reese has gotten and how chubby her little cheeks are! She said that they'll have a NICU reunion this summer for us to take Reese to. I really just have to say that the staff there is the best! A lot of people think that because we have a local Children's Hospital that they're the only option for great medical care for babies (and they are great!), but we were pleasantly surprised to find out how great the staff at our hospital is too!

We came home for a quick stop to pick up my infant carrier for trick or treating and the trick or treat bags. Unfortunately it turned into a long stop when I stupidly locked the keys in the house! Brian was able to get in about 15 minutes later and we made our way to my parents' house for some trick or treating action!

Wyatt got in his costume and went to the door the first time my parents' doorbell rang. And he was frightened by Spiderman. Like, screaming, crying frightened. He actually told Spiderman "Walk...go," trying to tell the kid to go away! I could tell we were in for a fun night. He was resistant to trick or treating at first, but his mood got better. Mainly because of two things. Doorbells and dogs.

My parents' neighbors were sitting in their court and they were playing fetch with their dog while handing out candy. Wyatt saw the dog and immediately got excited. He wanted to pet the dog, and since it was a very nice Golden Retriever, we let him. He would have stayed there forever. At the next house Brian let Wyatt push the "button." It became Wyatt's new favorite thing to do...until that Spiderman kid showed up. Screaming ensued. Fortunately Spidey's parents took him along a different path so Wyatt would stop screaming. At the next house Wyatt got to ring the doorbell and pet a brand new little puppy. He loved it. The lady was so nice because she just sat there and held it while Wyatt visited with the puppy. More houses, more dogs. And then a kitty. Brian and Wyatt spent a good chunk of time petting the cat. At the next house Wyatt rang the doorbell and my mom's friend came to the door. Wyatt then grabbed her screen door and tried to force himself in the house saying "Doggy?" She laughed at him, but said she didn't have any doggies. After we passed another set of kids that made Wyatt scream we decided to go back to my parents' house. We figured one court of candy was enough!

All in all it was a decent trick or treating experience for Wyatt. This costume thing just scares me a little. I'm worried about our trip to see Santa. Our annual Christmas card picture might be in jeopardy.....

Halloween bags

The first dog he saw...my parents' Halloween decoration

Reese and I

Walking with Daddy

Ringing a doorbell

Crying because of Spiderman

Petting the little puppy

Petting Cuddles the kitten

Staring at a Haunted House across the street

Wyatt and Reese

Reese in her costume

Finishing the night of with a song

Banana on the Brain

This morning Wyatt woke up and talked to himself in his crib as usual. At one point I heard him shout "Ba-NAN-Naaaaa" which of course meant that he was interested in having a banana for breakfast. Once Brian fed him though, he had a different interest in the banana. Like putting it in his hair....

Needless to say, this was a freaking nightmare to clean up!

Last Halloween!

Last year Wyatt was Baby Yoda for Halloween. Brian picked out the costume for him. Okay, right now his Daddy picks out all of his costumes. Anyway, we went to the Boo at the Zoo just like we will be doing this year and we went Trick or Treating (briefly) on Halloween night. When I look at these pictures I can't believe how big my little boy has gotten since then...and I can't believe that it's been a year. The time has flown by!

Wyatt and Daddy
Playing with his keys at the zoo
Wyatt in the pumpkin
Wyatt and Daddy again
Baby Yoda, Daddy and Yoda
Wyatt and Mommy

Yoda stealing Wyatt's candy

Playing and Relaxing with Daddy

The Alphabet!

Wyatt recognizes and says "E" now when he sees the letter! 1 down, 25 to go!

P.S. Thanks Mom!

A Great Place to Read

Wyatt loves to play with the laundry baskets. It's usually a minor annoyance because his favorite time to play is when they're full of clean, folded clothes. Fortunately this one was empty. He pulled it over to the window (he needed proper lighting) and got his Wonder Pets book and decided to have a read!

Yeah...

Nothing special. I just wanted to post a picture of the sandwich that Brian made for himself this afternoon without asking me if Iwanted anything to eat while I was feeding our daughter. The end.

Two Months Old!

Today our little Reese is two months old! When I think back to two months ago...sitting in my hospital room alone, waiting for Brian to get back from the NICU for his nightly visit...I still feel sick to my stomach. Pumping because that was literally all I could do to help my girl, and she couldn't even have my milk yet. The thought of my Reese with all those tubes attached to her, not even breathing on her own, it all still makes me cry. I hate that she came in the world that way, but I am so thankful that she's a perfectly healthy little baby now!

Today was a big day for Reese. The day started with a bath because I didn't give her one last night. It was followed by a "fashion show." I wanted to put all of her newborn outfits on her one last time and take pictures in each before I fold them up and store them. We only got through half the newborn wardrobe today, but I'm hoping I can finish it tomorrow. I'm not a person who will give the clothes away yet, I'm not sure I could bear to pass anything on. I love each little outfit she's worn and since we're not done bringing little babies into our family, I want to save everything. One day, when we are done (and right now, I'm not sure how we'll know we're done. I'm not trying to go all Duggar on the world but I'm hoping there's some sort of finality that you feel when you have your last kid) I also want to make quilts out of the their baby clothes. Maybe I'll let them have them. Maybe I'll keep them forever just to remind me how little my babies were once. The night I went through Wyatt's clothes and pulled out neutral things for Reese I broke down. My little boy is almost 19 months old and it's flown by! The last two months feel like a week.

Anyway enough Mommy sadness! After Reese's fashion show we went to Toys R' Us to get Christmas ideas for Wyatt and Reese. We saw a few things that we liked for both kids. There's more stuff for Wyatt, but we also have so many gender neutral things for babies that Reese doesn't need a whole lot. She may get a few things, but that playroom is already packed! Wyatt had a really great time playing with a train table. He saw it and bolted over to it to play and stayed there playing contentedly for at least 15 minutes. He cried when we took him away, but he got over it when he saw all the other toys. The only reason he got back in his stroller is because I offered him goldfish. Ridiculous!

Anyway, here's some pictures of our baby girl!

Newborn

One Month

This look goes with her patented "lower lip quiver" which she will be able to use to get whatever she wants from her Daddy forever.

The Day Wyatt Poked a Horse in the Eye and Tried to Put a Sock on Noelle

Yesterday we went to Busch Gardens for the last time this year with my parents. We hit the usual stops (in fact, we've taken the same route through the park every time and we haven't gotten past Germany). The horses, the eagles, the wolves, the Pet Shenanigans show. This time we actually made it to the train! Wyatt had a lot of fun on the train. He's actually become a little obsessed with "choo choos" lately. He actually behaved well when it was time to get off too.

When Wyatt was petting the Clydesdales and getting his pictures taken with them he was a little scared. But Brian told him the horsey was a "funny horsey" and it made him laugh and he wasn't scared anymore. So he started to point at the horseys nose, ears and eyes and when he said "eyes" he poked the horse in the eye! It was okay though, the horse didn't get mad!

Wyatt rode the carousel with my parents and we started to walk out so that we could get on the road before 3 to beat the Friday traffic. We made one last stop to see the horses again on the way out and Wyatt got a surprise. My mom got him one of the Clydesdales stuffed animals. He loved it and wouldn't let that thing go. He kept it on his lap the whole way out and everybody that we passed commented on how cute he was with his little horse.

Reese was perfectly behaved the entire time, from the time we left the house until we got home. She is a wonderful little baby and she's really starting to get a little personality!

Once we got home we just hung out for the rest of the night. At one point Wyatt took his socks off and threw them on the floor. About 5 minutes later he got down on the floor and started to try and put his sock on Noelle's paw while saying "sock, sock, shoes!" Brian stopped him before he got the sock on her, but it was pretty funny! The number of things he's learning and processing now is amazing!

Having fun on the train

Reese on her first train ride

Reese asleep in her front carrier

He was so excited when he got his horse!

He took his horse over the wall where he saw a picture of more horses

Stopping to see the horses one more time
Leaving the park with his horse!

Cooing

Reese is cooing up a storm now. She's also VERY active when she's on her playmat. She almost looks like she's dancing the way she moves her whole body around! I shot some video of her yesterday jamming to her tunes and doing a little cooing!

Taking After Daddy

Over the last few days Wyatt's become kind of become a little particular about things.... basically he takes after his Daddy....

Example:
We went out to dinner for Brian's birthday. We came home and both commented that we smelled like restaurant and everyone went to bed. We woke up in the morning and Brian said "Babe, you should probably wash the sheets today, they smell like a restaurant." I knew he wouldn't have been able to sleep that night if hadn't changed the sheets.

The other night I was putting Wyatt to bed. He was in his jammies and his music was playing. He was excited to go to bed. He pointed at his crib and said "bed." Then he walked over to his armoire drawer (the one we keep his sheets in), and pulled out a new sheet. He took it over to the crib and said "bed." He wanted me to change his sheets!

Yesterday I was getting him up from his nap and I folded his blanket and put it down in the crib. Wyatt looked up at me, picked up the blanket and draped it over the crib. That's what we'd been doing with the blanket for the last month, but I'd decided to start keeping it in the crib instead. When I folded it back up and placed it in the crib, Wyatt looked at me and said "No?," and put it back over the crib. Everything has to be done just the right way. This kid is ridiculous!

New Haircut!

Today I took Wyatt to Pigtails & Crewcuts to get a haircut. I didn't want it cut too short because I like it long, but it needed a trim. It was great. When we walked in there was a train table for him to play with, which he loved. He kept saying "choo choo, choo choo," and he wanted to hold a train the hold time he sat in his chair. Wyatt chose the taxi to sit in. I think he wanted the fire truck, but there was another little boy in it. He was very good, and when he got a little antsy he was able to watch Diego on the TV. His haircut turned out so cute!

Before

After

Falling from the Sky...

Well, not really. But today, I went into the attic above the garage to get a toy for Reese that had been Wyatt's as a baby. I got the toy successfully and then stepped to get to the ladder...but stepped on the only part of the attic not covered with plywood. And then I realized that I was falling through the ceiling. I'm not the first in my family to do this. My brother fell through his right after he moved into his new house. Fortunately, it was only my right leg that fell through and I stopped myself before I fell further, but I won't be going up in the attic again ever.

Here's the damage I did....

A Goldfish in a....Diaper?

Yesterday we were at the mall during snack time and I gave Wyatt some goldfish. When we got home Brian went to the playroom with Wyatt to change his diaper and all of the sudden I heard Brian calling my name pretty loudly. I also heard another loud "Bwiney" being shouted at the same time because my precious son was copying his Daddy. Anyway, I got to the playroom and Brian showed me Wyatt's diaper. I braced myself for something disgusting, but instead saw this:

Thoughts?

All Smiles!

Yesterday Reese took her first trip to the mall! Since it was nasty (for the second day in a row) we decided to go to MacArthur Center for the day. Brian and I used to make the drive there all the time because it's a great mall and you don't run the risk of seeing too many people (Brian prefers to be in cognito). We hadn't been there in awhile and it was something to do, and we were hoping to go and redeem our zoo passes before the Halloween weekend when it will be packed and we wanted to go visit Brian's grandmother.

We walked through Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware (the two main reasons I love that mall), and then started shopping sales for the kids. Wyatt got several shirts and Reese got a couple shirts and a hooded sweater (so the sweater wasn't on sale, but I had to get it for her). I was looking at all the little wool coats and dresses for Christmas and I can't wait to put her in them. I used to love wearing that stuff when I was a little girl! I am absolutely in love with this coat! (So Mom, if you would like to buy it for her for Christmas it would be like a present for me too!)

After the mall we stopped at the zoo to get our passes renewed and tried to call Brian's grandmother but she wasn't home. We came back here and Reese was all smiles. I guess her first trip to the mall was just too fun!

Happy Birthday Noelle!

Yesterday was Noelle's birthday! Our girl turned 15 years old. We wanted to take her for a short walk, but it was a disgusting day so we weren't able to. The highlight of her day was her birthday Frosty Paw (a yearly ritual). Brian took video of it that I wanted to upload but it's too big. It only took her 30 seconds to pick it up with her teeth and finish it. In the picture she's finished her Frosty Paw and is looking for more. She is out of control!