{April Photoshoot}

This past April, a friend of our family offered to do a little photo shoot of the boys since we had yet to get any good pictures of Ben and Luke together.  Let's just say we still don't have any pictures of the two of them together, but we did get a sweet moment of Luke kissing Ben (look at those cheeks!)...

We also got a few cute ones of just Luke being his crazy self.  I can't believe how much I feel like he has grown.  This was just 2 1/2 months ago and he looks so much younger.  My cutie pie...

{Injured on the Job}

If you meet Luke, you will soon realize how lively and physical he is.  He has always been that way -- practically running before he could even walk, swinging a golf club like a pro by the age of 18 months and jumping off anything he could find.  I love that he is so physical and energetic -- for some reason I enjoy watching him work so hard and enjoy life so much. 

Until Friday. 

I was on the receiving end of all of his energy.  And I have injuries to prove it.

Friday afternoon, Chat and I were playing with Luke out in the front yard while Ben took an afternoon nap.  Luke was running all around the front yard with a huge smile on his face.  He starts running towards me so I stoop down and hold my arms out for a huge hug.  He comes running at my full force and starts to open his arms wide to charge into me. 

Until his train met my face first.

Good old Thomas the Train was in his right hand and came smacking down on my mouth.  In an instant I violently fell back on the grass, tears running down my face and my hand covering my mouth.  Chat freaked out and came running to me.  Luke looked a bit stunned.

After an ice pack and some Advil, it looked as though I had a fat, bruised lip.  I looked funny and it hurt, but I guess I came out pretty good considering.

Until 3:00 am.

I woke up with pain.  I was so tired and I couldn't really get out of my sleepy fog to figure out what was hurting so bad.  I tossed and turned for probably an hour before it got so bad that I got up to get some more pain medicine.  And then I realized it was my neck.  Oh yes, I had whip lash from jerking back when I got hit by that darn train. 

Okay, well this has turned into more injuries than I originally thought but at least Advil was doing the trick and a little cover-up make up for the lip.

Wrong again!

I am sitting on the couch on Sunday evening getting Luke into his pajamas and I feel something rough on my tooth.  I use my nail to scratch it off.  What comes off?  Part of my tooth!  Right under my bruised lip.  Argh.

So now I have a busted lip, whip lash and a chipped tooth.

I am off to the dentist at 1:00 pm today to have them fix the tooth.  I hope I don't find any more injuries from that ridiculous train! 

{Ouch!}

We've had a rough week for sure.  I finally feel that things are turning a corner and guess who decides he wants to put those new, little teeth to work and BITE his mama while nursing?

THIS GUY

(ouch!!!!!)

{Luke Happenings}

The kiddos and I are still sick, so Luke has to stay home from school and we are trying to keep everyone happy and fever-free.  In the effort of distracting myself from the incoming teeth and runny noses, I think I need to give some updates on Luke since it has been a while. So here goes...some little tidbits that I want to remember about Snoop-A-Luke:

1.  We took Luke to this restaurant the other week that has a playground with outside seating.  We love this place because we actually get to eat and he enjoys running around.  There were several other kids playing on the equipment and there was a dad who was sitting towards the end of the slide holding up his iphone trying to get a video of his child sliding down.  Well, Luke looks up as he is sliding down and sees the dad with the phone and immediately screams, "cheeeeeeeeese" with a big goofy grin.  I guess I take too many pictures of him with my phone because he think everyone is trying to!

2.  Luke is all boy.  Lately when he plays with his trains or cars, he has them crash into each other.  I don't know where he learned it or maybe he just was born knowing, but he rams them into each other and says, "craaaaaaaasshh".  He draws out the word for some reason.  How do boys do this from the beginning??  I guess it is the same with girls loving to play with a doll and knowing those mothering tendencies.  It is so neat to watch what makes them tick.

3.  He loves to hold my hand.  Probably my most favorite thing right now.  He will say, "mama, mama, hand" and hold out his little paw for me to grab.  We hold hands and walk around the yard, we hold hands in the car, when lying on the couch together and when he is sitting in a high chair at a restaurant.  I love it. 

4.  Television.  It has become a big problem for Luke.  He would watch it all day long if I let him.  He loves Thomas the Train but has recently been into Pixar and Disney movies like Cars, Rio and Ice Age.  It is nice to hear something other than that darn train!  But television is creating all sorts of problems.  He has issues when it is time to turn it off and he can throw a mean trantrum.  He asks for "thomas" or "birds" or "cars" all day long.  He tries to steal my phone because he knows how to look up Thomas episodes on youtube.  It is so hard to constantly be battling him.  And that is what it feels like -- a constant battle.  For a long time, we cut out all tv except for about 30 minutes in the evening.  It made a huge difference.  Then we had Ben and once he got out of the I-can-sleep-through-anything stage, I had to use television to distract Luke when I would nurse or try to put Ben to sleep.  If I don't, Luke walks in and talks and talks and talks and wakes Ben up.  It is frustrating and I am struggling finding a balance.

5.  Luke is still obsessed with the dogs.  He will take Chloe's face and grab her nose with both hands like he is keeping her mouth closed and kiss her right on the lips.  She is less than thrilled.  Sometimes he just body slams into them.  He thinks this is hysterical.  He gets in trouble for this (poor puppies), but it never quite keeps him from doing it.  Hmmmmm. 

6.  Trains are still the toy of choice.  He has 25+ Thomas the Train characters and he knows everyone by name.  There can be two the same color and look identical except for a little number and he knows they are different and what their names are.  He has to bring at least one or two trains wherever we go, to naps, bath and bedtime.  His most favorite ones are James, Gordon and Duncan.

7.  Luke loves to pull all the pillows off the couches and gather them together so he can jump on them -- from off the couch or coffee table or chair.  It can be quite dangerous and after he was hurling himself across the room one day, I looked at Chat and said, "We are going to end up in the emergency room with him a lot, aren't we?"  He also likes to climb all over me or around me or sometimes through me it seems.  As he does it, he always says, "Sorry mama!" (in a very happy voice) while in the action.  Or sometimes, "Sorry baby!" when Ben is in my lap and he throws himself over us.  He knows!  Oh my goodness, he knows what he is doing.  But he thinks a good old "Sorry!" will do the trick.

That's it for now!  I hope we are all on the mend here in the next day or two.  I am not sure how much more sickness and teething I can take!

{Updates from an Exhausted Mom}

You know it is bad when you are begging the morning to come at 3:30 am even though you are exhausted and only have slept probably two hours.  Teething and sickness hit full force last night.  I am not sure which made the night what it was, but I am sure the combo did not help. 

Teeth:  Ben's first tooth is about 1/3 of the way in and that darn 2nd tooth is starting to cut through the gums.  I see it but can't feel it yet which I think is the hardest, more painful stage for the bebe.  He is making this pitiful face all the time and now doing this high-pitched squeal sound.  I. Hate. Teething. 

Ben's pitiful face due to teething. 

Or maybe because Luke was trying to lay on top of him.

Sickness:  Luke came down with a cold on Sunday. I started feeling bad with an itchy throat and overall aches by Sunday afternoon. Ben has had a weird cough since Saturday morning and last night in the wee hours of the morning sounded congested and started coughing more.  It is the summer.  Why are we sick?!?!

How My Night Went Down: So what does all this mean?  No sleep for this gal.  I feel asleep around 11:00 last night and we made it till 12:30 then you-know-what hit the roof. Ben was up at 12:30, then 2:00 am where he was up for about an hour and a half.  In my arms just looking around.  Wuh???  I rocked and rocked for about 45 minutes.  I finally nursed him to try to get him back down.  The minute I put him back in the crib, he was up.  I finally just left him and hopes that he would fall back asleep.  I think he finally fell  back asleep around 3:45 just to wake back up at 4:15.  At this point I was on the verge of a breakdown since I felt so crappy and had slept maybe 2 hours at this point.  Chat went in and got him and put him in bed with me and then he went to shower and get ready for work. Ben did more looking around and then at some point he fe1l asleep again, then woke up at 5:30 and then 6:20. I nursed him hoping he would fall back asleep since I was so tired, but nope. He was up for good. Luke followed pretty quickly.

So we are all up. Luke is right next to me drinking my juice because apparently my juice tastes better than his juice (it is the same juice) and he is playing with his trains. Ben is bouncing in his bouncer and I am watching the clock to see when it is nap time.  God knows we all need a nap.  I look a bit like the bride of Frankenstein right now and I am sure I am scaring the children. 

I need to get well to handle the teething.  I forget how hard it is and what it does to our nights.  The last six months are catching up to me.  I need some sleep.  Just a night here or there.  Please Ben.  SLEEP. 

{Happy Father's Day}

{Ice Cream Envy}

Luke really likes ice cream....

 And apparently Ben and Trudy would like to have some too!  

All eyes were on Luke and his yummy ice cream...

{Ben: 6 Months}

Ben turned 6 months old yesterday!  I can't believe how fast the last six month have flown when I look back -- although sometimes I felt it inched by as it was happening (ah, the life with a baby).  Ben has clearly turned from an infant to now a baby who is babbling, moving like crazy and growing big and strong these past couple of months.  Here are some updates on this dumpling:

1.  Ben is still a big old boy!  We went to the pediatrician today and he weighed in at 24lbs 12oz (100%) and measured 28.75" in length (100%).  He is putting Luke to shame when he was this age.  The pediatrician once again assured me that this is okay that he is this big.  She says it is due to genetics and some very fattening breast milk that I am producing and that he will start to slim down when he starts crawling/walking (aka doing his cardio) and eating more table food.  My arms can't wait!

2.  Ben is wearing size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 at night.  Although he still loves to drench his pjs at night and have the occasional blow-out during the day.  Specifically today at the pediatrician where he pooped on everything -- me, him, the carseat, the doctor's table, etc.  He is wearing 12 to 18 month clothes. Once his tummy slims down, I hope we have more options for clothing.  The whole 'shorts up to his nipples' look just isn't cutting it.    

3.  He has recently gotten his first tooth!  No more seem to be on the horizon, but I know they are coming.  I can't wait to see what he looks like with a toothy grin.

4.  Ben is moving like crazy!  He sits up perfectly with no support.  He is up on his knees and rocking back and forth as well so I can only assume he will be crawling in the next few weeks (hold me).  He turns in all directions and can scoot himself across the room backwards inching like a worm.  A fat little worm.

5.  He LOVES to bounce in his bouncer that hangs from the doorway.  Luke never liked this bouncer, but we have definitely put it to use this time around.  He bounces all day long!  It just shows you how two babies can be so different.

6.  Ben nurses 4 to 5 times a day and I have continued to try feeding him oatmeal/rice and some baby fruits and veggies.  To which he continues to stick his tongue out, gag and his eyes water every time.  He does not like it. I think he is going to stick to nursing primarily much to my dismay.   

7.  Benny Boy loves to smile and laugh.  He is the most smiley baby and just laughs all day long.  He loves to particularly smile at me, laugh at the dogs and belly laugh at Luke.  There is absolutly no better sound than his belly laugh.  Just listen....

8.  Sleep.  Oh sleep.  We have taken a few steps forward and now a million steps back.  He still wakes up a lot.  We have tried to let him cry, but he is just struggling.  But to be honest, I give him mixed signals.  Half the time I go in, half the time I let him fuss.  Argh!  He goes down around 7:30 or 8:00 pm every night and wakes up between 6:15 and 7:30 am.  And then the many times in between.  What can I say?  I do not birth sleepers.  AT ALL.  I say tiny prayers every day that he will start sleeping better or that I find the strength to deal with it for several more months.

9.  Napping.  We had made some progress, but I think due to these darn teeth he is still enjoying his 45 minute power naps.  I put him down awake and he fusses anywhere between 30 seconds and 15 minutes before falling asleep.  He naps from 30 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes.  But not a minute more.  He is consistently doing about 3 shorter naps a day. 

10.  Ben has some awesome hair.  He sports a mohawk pretty darn well and is just adorable doing it.

11.  Ben got 3 shots today and didn't cry.  He looked up at me and did wimper on the last one, but never cried.  I was shocked, but so happy :).  I hate hearing cries that come from something that hurts.

That's about all I have to update on right now.  He is busy growing and we are loving watching him.  At times, things get hard and a bit sticky with having two little ones.  I am really tired most days and can't wait for the day I can wear a normal bra.  There are tears, frustration, impatience.  But for the most part, there are smiles, laughs and happiness.  Overall we are finding our way as a family of four and enjoying what we find.  Now if I could just get a nap in...

{Bedtime Energy}

I am not sure the reason, but bedtime seems to be getting crazier and crazier for Mr. Luke.  Just like his mama, the later it gets, the more awake he becomes and the more energy he has.   Last night, he decided to jump on the couch about 30 times before I insisted he calms down and he heads to bed.  To which he ignored and continued to do over and over and over.  I am not sure if it is just boys and being wild or if it just him...but his energy level has sky-rocketed in the past few months and it is wearing this lady out!

{Date Night and Growing Up}

Chat and I went on our second date since Ben was born last night.  We had a wonderful time at Eddie V's for dinner with the fabulous company of some fun friends.  Of course, I continually say that all I want is a night away occasionally but when it comes, it is never quite as easy to leave.  Luke has trouble with goodbyes and I was just praying Ben stayed asleep and the babysitter didn't have to handle an upset baby who won't take a bottle.  My stomach is typically in my throat when we back out of the driveway.  But once we were out on the streets of Houston with our two carseats in the back empty, it felt like we were miles away. 

When we got to the swanky restaurant, we went to the bar to wait for our friends to arrive and have a drink.  I turned to Chat and laughing I said, "I feel like I am naked and everybody is staring at me."  It had been so long for me to be in a scene like that -- everyone dressed up like it was the Vegas strip, buzzing around, drinking cocktails, kids nowhere to be found.  I felt exposed and bare.  That everyone knew I didn't belong there.  It was a very bizarre feeling that quickly went away once I had a delicious glass of wine in my hands. Okay, four glasses.

The time away went by quickly, but was well spent laughing and socializing without having to cut up someone's food or nurse a baby.  It felt good to be out and about.  We arrived back at home around 10:30 pm and got a great report from the babysitter.  Phew.  Ben stayed asleep without a peep and Luke did pretty well.  He even crawled up in her lap to cuddle as he watched a movie.  Twenty minutes after she left, Ben woke up crying.  It was like he knew we were back. 

But with good reason.  Our little Ben is growing up!  He hasn't been sleeping so well these past few nights (shocker!) and has been making funny faces with his tongue like these....

Yep, Ben is getting his first tooth!  At the exact same age as Luke...a few days shy of being six months old.  It is just starting to poke through his gums and I expect for it to make its full arrival in the coming week. 

And there are some other big changes for our big guy...looks like he is ready to start moving.  He is starting to get up on his knees and do a few push-ups.  Guess he is ready to shed a few of the pounds he has been carrying with some cardio workout!

Lots has been going on and I can't wait to head to the pediatrician's office on Wednesday for a full report on my little big dumpling. 

I am now going to go nurse my nagging headache.  Clearly from my four glasses of wine and my teething bebe... 

{Under Age}

Uh-oh...Looks like Ben is already following in his daddy's footsteps. 

He is ready for a beer!

{A Special Birthday}

Before we left for the bay, Chat said he had a surprise for me to celebrate my birthday with just us.  It was going to be Friday at lunchtime, so I needed to be ready with the boys.  What did we do?  A picnic in the park with the boys!

Chat brother James graduated from culinary school recently.  Chat put him to work to make our picnic lunch!  We had chicken salad sandwiches, chicken and avocado spring rolls, BLT sliders, a fruit basket and home-made eclairs.  It was all so delicious!  Just look...

We got to the park around 11:00 am and set up our lunch on a picnic table.  This was the first time I had been to this particular park.  It was beautiful -- it was huge and had the most amazing, sprawling oak trees.  The weather in Houston was of course hot that day, but a little front had come through that had taken all the humidity away for the day.  We couldn't have ask for a better day!

Benny Boy and Me

Yumm!

My two boys swinging away

Chat swinging with Luke

All the fun wore this guy out!

It was a wonderful way to ring in my 31st year! 

{Away At The Bay: 2012}

We went away with my family to our bay house the past few days!  It was wonderful to get away and we also celebrated my birthday.  We went here last year too -- it is crazy how much changes in just a year.  Last year, Luke was only 16 months and Ben was just the size of a pea growing inside me. 

This year was a blast, although a bit crazier now that we have three kiddos running and bouncing around.  I think the hardest part was coordinating naps since someone was always sleeping.  They of course never slept at the same time and keeping the house quiet enough was a challenge.  But we powered through and had fun, cooked a ton of good food and laughed a bunch.  Luke's big take away from the weekend -- how to play 'hide and seek'.  He loves it! 

I have lots to catch up on so I leave you with some pictures...

Grandad and Ben swinging away downstairs under the house

A close-up of Ben

Molly practicing her crawling.  She is almost there!

Chat and Luke cruisin' on the golf cart

Luke, Ben and Grandad at the Beach

Uncle David and Sissy walking with Molly and Luke.  Luke looooooves his aunt and uncle!

Molly and Ben putting their feet in the water for the first time

  Which means the two of them needed a bath to wash off all that sand!

We had a little luau for my birthday celebration.  Here are the boys in their Hawaiian shirts.

 Luke decided he needed to wear all the leis! 

We had a wonderful time!  Now its back to the real world.  Chat is in Boston/New York till Friday and I am busy doing laundry and other very glamorous things.  Can't wait till he is home!