Little Person...Big Kid

Jackson is such an interesting study in contradictions right now. He goes to "real" school, not preschool, and he is really making big strides with his reading and writing. He loves numbers and science and wants to know how everything works. We play endless games of Uno, Connect 4, and even Scrabble --with slightly altered rules, of course. He calls himself an "almost grown-up" and refers to people as "dude." (While helping Cody into his jammy shirt last night, he remarked, "You've got a big head, dude!")

But at the same time, he cried like I'd broken his heart the other day when I asked him to wait for me in the other room as I was laying Luke down. "But Mama," he lamented with big crocodile tears running down his face, "I want to be with YOU!"

He also refers to the uber-recognizable landmark in New York as the "Vampire" State Building.

I just love this time with him, because although it's hard to predict from one minute to the next whether he'll scoff at my hugs and kisses or demand more, I know that all too soon he really WILL be an "almost grown-up," and that fervent wish to simply be in the same room with me will be a thing of the past. So for right now I appreciate and admire his striving to become a real person, while cherishing every glimpse of the baby/kid that remains. :)

He's Got Next

Yesterday was actually a little warm (at least in the morning, before the wind did it's thing), so I refrained from putting Luke in a sleeper and he got to wear some cute little socks that Mara got for him. They look just like little sneakers, complete with laces! He looked adorable and was very proud of himself, obviously. He has them in a rainbow of colors, so he's ready for every outfit and occasion. If the Mavericks need a new point guard, Luke's got the footwear to make it happen.

It should be noted that the person getting Luke to smile and laugh in these pictures is Jackson. Luke loves his biggest bubba best. :)

Cody's New Haircut Before and After

Cody really doesn't enjoy having his hair cut. Who can blame the poor guy? He's had a lot of people mess with his head in a variety of unpleasant ways. So we've put off cutting his hair because he had a pretty cute shag going. Only it was getting messier every day. This morning Cody, Luke and I braved the freezing temperatures to head to Cool Cuts 4 Kids. He did a really great job, although he still hates the clippers. But he looks great.

Not Your Traditional Nursing Bra

So I've found that my favorite "nursing" bras are these Nike sports bras I've had forever...they're easy to pull up, super soft, hide the nursing pads, etc. I looked online and Nike doesn't sell them anymore (the new ones have a really thick elastic bottom part). I went to Academy and was SO excited because I found what I thought were almost the exact same ones.

Got them home and read the tag...they were in the GIRLS section (rather than women's) and say "Trainer."

I'm nursing in a training bra.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Bottles

After bottle-feeding both Jacks and Cody, I was all fired up about the third time's being the charm and having a successful breastfeeding relationship with Luke. He nursed within the first hour after his birth, and we refused all pacifiers and bottles in the hospital (there was even a little sign on his isolette that said, "NO PACI"). I waited to introduce a paci or a bottle once we got home too, so that we could really get a hang of nursing and avoid any nipple confusion.

Well, it seems I may have waited too long. I've been trying to introduce a bottle in the last few weeks so that I might be able to leave Luke with someone for a few hours so I can go to the dentist, get a haircut, or (most importantly) volunteer in Jackson's classroom. So far Luke has rejected Avent, Dr. Brown's, Playtex, Gerber and BreastFlow bottles. The child gets a look on his face that says, "Ew, gross" better than any words ever could, and he tongues that bottle nipple out of his mouth just as fast as he can. Occasionally, he tries chewing on it to lure us into getting excited that FINALLY, he might be about to start drinking it, but then he smirks (or more often, screams) at our naivete and spits that bottle right back out.

My little parasite seems to prefer that his boob juice come straight from the tap, and he just won't settle for anything less. But considering how hard he and I have worked to get to this point, and considering how proud I am that he's 11 weeks old and my body and I have been keeping him alive and thriving and FAT all this time, how can I really complain? Plus, when he snuggles up next to HIS boob after nursing and puts his little arm around it possessively as he falls asleep...well, no MNO or few hours of child-free time could possibly be better than that.

A Lawyer in the Making

The other day was gorgeous out, so we thought we'd go for a walk after Daddy got home. Jacks wanted to ride his bike, so Cody decided to drive his little red car (think Fred Flintstone). But if Cody takes his car, we go slooooooooooooooooow so we usually don't leave our cul-de-sac.

Well, Jacks wanted to go on a long bike ride. So the little strategist pulled Cody aside and said, "Hey Codes....want to ride in the wagon? We can put a pillow in so you can lie down and look at the sky. We could even bring a blanket in case you get cold. It would be awesome!"

And of course, since big brother said it would be awesome, Cody knew that it would be, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to go for a ride in the wagon.

So, off we went on our walk, Jacks on his bike, me pushing Luke in his stroller, and Daddy pulling Cody in the wagon, complete with blanket and pillow. :)

The Best Big Brother in the World

This picture is remarkably similar to one we have of Jacks with Cody at about the same age! He's just so sweet with both of his brothers. They are really lucky to have him!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Philosophizing with Daddy

Cody Plays Dress-up

Mom and Kate got the boys a bunch of dress-up clothes for Christmas, and they have been having a blast pretending to be a witch, a butterfly, a pirate, etc.

This morning, I finally got some pictures of Cody in all his glory. And no, he's not wearing pants.


Cody the Cool

Cody the Wizard

King Cody

Belated Thanksgiving Pics

Here are my favorite pictures from the week of Thanksgiving...Luke was 3 weeks old when he first met his SuperAunt, AKA K-K. And of course, already quite in love with his Gramma.

Cooversations with a Cutie

Whodat?
Oh it's just you Mama...hear me roarrrrrrrrrrr!!
Hey baby, how YOU doin'?

House of Sickness

I took Luke and Cody in for follow-ups this morn (after ER trips and RSV diagnoses over the weekend)...our pedi heard some "crackling" in Cody's lungs so we went for a chest Xray (an already not-fun, early morning trip to the doc with all 3 boys turned into an insane marathon between doc's office, radiology--in another building--and back) and he has pneumonia.

So they gave him shots of antibiotic in his legs (too much medicine to put in just one injection so he got 2 at once, mixed with numbing stuff which meant I had to carry him out...did I mention he weighs 48 lbs?), we're doing breathing treatments every hour, starting a new antibiotic tomorrow, and we go back on Wednesday. Poor Cody is just miserable. He was a champ during the Xrays, but NOT happy about the shots (who can blame him?) and he fell asleep about 30 seconds into our drive home.

Luke's pulse-ox was 99 (compared with Cody's 96) today and his ears and chest are still clear, so he's "tolerating the RSV symptoms well" and we're just supposed to keep doing what we've been doing for him.

Jacks was my superhero today, since Anthony is at work...he pushed Luke's stroller so I could carry Cody, gave Cody all the "good" toys in the waiting rooms, etc. He needs a gold medal, for sure.

After the traumatic morning, Cody was all about being comfortable. He found a fleece jacket my mom had given me, stripped down to nothing, and insisted on wearing it for the rest of the day. It was HUGE on him...hung down to his knees, and I had to roll up the sleeves a bunch, but he was so happy in it that I just had to get a few pics in his comfy PJ's of choice.