Life Right Now

I have become a terrible blogger!  I normally get both boys to take at least 1 nap at the same time during the day, so that gives me 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours to try to do all the things I can't do when they are awake.... and blogging has been something I've had to give up in order to get the house (somewhat) clean, laundry done, and supper ready :)  Life with 2 boys under 2 is challenging and WONDERFUL!  I wouldn't change it for the world!!!  Jack is at a tough age...showing his independence and not being very obedient at times, but at the same time he is a little sponge and I love it!  He is definitely going to be strong willed and is already Mr. Independent!  The past 3 months he not only started talking, but has become a little parrot.  My favorite new word of his at the moment is "Tika Tee", also known as Christmas Tree.   "Mommy" and "No" are his all time favorite words and he says both at least 100 times a day :)  He loves his 2 mornings of school and gets so excited on school mornings and will run to the laundry room to get his "back back" aka backpack.  Jack is still sleeping in a crib and I am SO VERY thankful that the rails are too high for him to even consider trying to climb out!  He has taken a few naps in his big boy bed  and he surprised me by staying in the bed, but I am definitely not rushing the transition out of the crib! I am having to get creative at mealtimes, because he has days where he is so very picky and other days he will eat anything I put in front of him.  I am learning to go with the flow and on the days he refuses to eat anything other than cheese, I pour him a pedia-sure and we are good to go :)  Whatever Jack is eating, must be eaten with a fork... even cookies and bananas require forks in his little mind.  Jack still loves his baby brother but doesn't really care to share with him.  He sits in the bumbo and plays with the baby toys more than Witt does and he has a complete meltdown anytime I put Witt in the bumbo seat.  Jack is completely obsessed with any vehicle... cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, and especially tractors.  As hard as the chasing, disciplining, teaching, (did I say chasing) is at this age, it is SO fun seeing him learn and grow into such a sweet little boy!

On the other hand, Witt is my laid back little bundle of joy who loves nothing more than eating, being held, and watching his brother run around him.  I am trying to enjoy these moments of only chasing 1 little guy because I really can't imagine what my life will be like in a few months when I have 2 little movers!

Here are a few random pics of my sweet boys...

Sweet guy sleeps with about half a dozen "friends" in his crib with him.  Please notice the cute Christmas bedding.  CC got that for Jack last year on clearance and Jack loves it.  We talk about Ho Ho, Snowmen, and Christmas trees everyday at our house. 

Sweet Cheeks!

Jack drives his tractor inside and outside ALL.DAY.LONG

Allen, Witt, and I visited Jack at school for a Thanksgiving feast!

Look at that BIG boy!  He is rolling from tummy to back and tries to get back on his tummy, but I think his fat rolls get in the way :)

This is what after bath, before bed playtime looks like at our house.

Give Jack a book about tractors and he will actually sit still :)

My HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY boy!

Witt is 3 Months Old!

Witt Cravens, you are 3 months old today!  The time is flying by!  You are such a sweet, smiley little baby and are loved so very much.  Here are a few things going on with you right now as a 3 month old...

• You (obviously) love to eat and I nurse you 5 times a day (6 am, 9:30, 1, 4:30, 7:30).  You take 3 long naps a day and 1 little catnap before bedtime at night.  You have FINALLY discovered how wonderful night time sleep is!!!  You go to bed after your 7:30 pm feeding and then sleep GREAT until 6:00 am. 
• You are wearing mostly 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.  I have started putting you in size 3 diapers (the same size your big brother wears) at night because you often wet through a size 2 during your long stretch of sleep.  I still can't get over how big you are and I LOVE all those little rolls!
• We have worked so hard to get you to like tummy time and it is finally paying off.  You now love it and are rolling from your tummy to back.  You surprise me at how easily you can get that big body of yours to roll over :)
• You LOVE to watch your big brother play.  You will just sit in your swing or lay on your playmat with your eyes following Jack wherever he goes.

Watching his brother.  And those cheeks....irresistible to kisses :)

•  You have got to be the smiliest baby I have ever been around.  All it takes is for someone to look at you and you break out in the biggest open mouth smile and will just talk and talk and talk.  You are just so happy!
• I still think you are going to be my laid back child.  You definitely thrive when on a schedule and have a harder time "going with the flow" than Jack did at this age, but when we stick to your schedule you are so very happy and such an easy baby.
• As I mentioned earlier, you take 3 long naps (about 2 hours long) a day.  You go down easily most of the time, but 45 minutes into it you wake up and fight, fight, fight going back to sleep.  Your brother did the EXACT same thing when he was your age.  I know you will work it out one of these days, but for now, Mama comes in and talks to you and pats your back to help you settle down.  I sometimes (more often than not...ssshhhh, don't tell BabyWise) will rock you back to sleep and the snuggle time with Mama always settles you down and puts you right to sleep.
• You brother loves you so much and has to check on you often when you are asleep.  He calls you Bobby and Baby, but refuses to even attempt to even say Witt.

Witt, your daddy, brother and I love you so much and we can't imagine our lives without you.  We have had so much fun with you these last 3 months and can't wait to see how you grow and what you learn in the next few months!

Typical of an attempted picture of the 2 of them.

I think it's obvious I was singing and dancing behind the camera to get them both looking and smiling.  Jack was even clapping for me :)

My BIG Baby

Ever since I was 4 months pregnant with Witt I have said he was going to be a big baby.  No one believed me, but I was right.  When he was born, still no one believed me, but you have to realize that 2 ounces shy of 7 pounds is a big baby for me (especially when he is 3 weeks early).  FINALLY everyone believes that I have a big baby.  At 10 weeks, little butter bean Witt weighs a whopping 14 pounds, 8 ounces!  He is in the 90-95 percentile in weight.  Poor little Jack was in the 15th percentile when he was 2 months old :)  So here are Witt's official 2 month (and 2 week) stats:
Weight 14 pounds, 8 ounces
Height 22 1/2 inches
Head circumference 16 1/2 inches

I wish I could find Jack's 2 month stats, but I believe he weighed a little over 10 pounds at 2 months.  So I guess I'm going to have a little Big Boy and a big Little Boy :)

Here are the two having a little tummy time... too sweet!

A Prehistoric Halloween

When I found out I was pregnant with Witt, I starting dreaming up all kinds of coordinating halloween costumes for Jack and his newborn sibling.  Some of my ideas were a football player and a baby football, a cowboy and a baby horse, and so many other CUTE ideas.  BUT THEN, my oldest child became obsessed with dinosaurs.  They are on the top of his most favorite list along with tractors and cheese :)  So, I decided to be a good mom and let him and his baby brother be dinosaurs for Halloween.  Jack loved wearing his costume and looking at himself in the mirror... and he made a pretty cute dinosaur if I must say!

And baby Witt looked just as adorable!

I attempted to pose my little dinosaurs for a picture.  As you see, that didn't really work out.

Jack practiced saying his version of trick or treat ("tikatikatika) all day and when I asked if he was ready to go get some candy, he took off!  :)

We started the night out by trick or treating at a few of our neighbor's houses, then we headed over to Wyatt the monster's house for a little more trick or treating.  It was such a fun night for my little dinosaurs!

The only way we could get the big boys to sit still for this picture was to feed them candy, which is why they both have their hands in their mouths :)

Happy Birthday to the Best Husband (and Daddy) EVER!

October 6th we celebrated Allen's 28th birthday!  Before we headed out to eat to celebrate the occasion, we had a little photo shoot of the birthday boy and his little boys.  Please notice I dressed my little babies like big boys just for their daddy.

 In case you didn't know, it is slightly difficult to get a good picture of a 18 month old and 6 week old.

 But Allen was patient and just kept posing so I could get a good one of all 3 :)

 And I finally got one!

Ok Daddy, picture time is done!

Happy belated birthday, Allen!  I love you more that you know and thank God every day for choosing me to be your wife and your partner in this parent thing :)  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Witt is 2 Months Old

Witt Cravens, you are 2 months old!  Your 2 month birthday was a few days ago on October 15, but Mama is having a very hard time getting her days organized enough to find time to blog.  She promises to do better!  You are such a little roly poly butterball and we love you SO much.  Here are some facts about your life as a 2 month old.

• I have NO IDEA how much you weigh, little butter bean.  You are HEAVY and have sweet little fat rolls all over your body :)  You go to the doctor for your checkup next week, so we will see how much you weigh then.

• You are wearing a size 2 diaper and size 3 months and some 6 months in clothes.  I am still SO surprised at what a big baby you are!  

• You are a great eater (obviously) and nurse 7 times a day.  

• We are still figuring out the whole sleep thing.  You are an "ok" sleeper, but could definitely improve in the area.  We have been "sleep training" this week and last night you did much better!  Hopefully you will keep it up because you have a tired Mama!

• I can already tell you are going to be a laid back baby.  After you get a tummy full of milk, you just lay back and smile and talk and take everything in around you!  You are also so very social and always smile to whoever is talking to you.

• You rolled from your tummy to back 3 times this week.  All three times were when you were getting a little frustrated with tummy time and you just flipped yourself over accidentally. You are holding your head up great and we have started putting you in the bumbo seat (which your brother thinks is hilarious for some reason).

• Your brother really loves you and calls "Baby" and "Bobby" (we think Bobby means brother).  I don't know if he will ever call you by your name :)  Jack loves to lay in the bed with you, practice tummy time with you, and read books to you.  You two are going to be such great friends!

Happy 2 month birthday, Baby Witt!!!

How sweet are those chubby cheeks :)!?!

Witt is 6 Weeks Old!

Witt Cravens, you are 6 weeks old!  Time is flying by.  You are such a big boy (especially dressed in your polo today)!  Here are some things going on with you right now.

• You nurse 7 or 8 times a day for about 20 minutes and I think you are taking 4 ounces during your daytime feedings and a little less during your nightime feedings.  You LOVE to eat (and it shows)!
• I tried to weigh you on a regular scale this week, but I just can't believe it was right because it said you weigh 10 pounds!  You don't have a checkup until the end of October, so we will just have to keep guessing until you are weighed on the baby scale.  You are wearing size 3 month clothes and have already grown out of some of your 0-3 month clothes.  The polo you are wearing today didn't fit your brother (and was still big on him) until he was 10 weeks old so you are A LOT bigger than he was!  
• You are sleeping much better at night.  The past week you had some tummy trouble which kept you up for a few nights, but you seem to be feeling much better and the past few nights have gotten up once (sometimes twice) to eat and have gone right back down.
• You are such a happy baby other than the hours of 5-7 pm.  But really, I think every baby is fussy during those "witching" hours.
• You are already SO social. You are cooing and smiling and LOVE to be talked to! Even Jack loves to see you smile and will get close to your face and talk to you in his "alien language" just to get a coo or a smile from you.

Witt, you are SO loved!!!

Do They Look Alike?

Everybody always asks me, "Does Witt look like Jack" and normally my response is, "No, not at all".  After looking through some pictures today though, I have changed my mind.  No, they don't look just alike, but yes, they do resemble.  That's good, I want them to look like brothers :)

Witt is 5 weeks old!

Witt Cravens, you are 5 weeks old today!  Here are a few things going on with you...

• I'm guessing you weigh somewhere around 9 pounds.  You are wearing 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.  It makes me so sad that you have already outgrown your newborn clothes and diapers, but at the same time I am proud of how big you are getting!

• You LOVE to eat and are still nursing every 3 hours during the day.  You have had a couple of nights of going 5 hours between feedings and all together skipping your 2nd nightime feeding and that makes your Mama VERY happy :)   You hit your 2nd growth spurt over the weekend and ate every 2 hours around the clock and you were pretty fussy, which meant we both got very little sleep.  As of today, you are back on track being your sweet self and eating every 3 hours...YAY!

• This week you started making eye contact and "cooing" and you have to work so hard at rounding those little lips...TOO cute :)   You are "talking" a couple weeks earlier than your brother did...I am predicting this means you will be an early talker like Jack was an early walker... only time will tell.

• You are doing great during tummy time and we work on exercising those neck muscles at least 3 times a day.  You are holding your head up like a champ and your big brother likes to lay on his tummy in front of you and cheer you on :) You do your best when laying on Daddy's chest...you hold your little head up so you can see your daddy's face while he is talking to you.

Witt, you are already such a sweet boy and as much as I want to say, "We can't wait to see the little boy you grow into", instead I will say, "SLOW DOWN GROWING and be my little baby as long as possible!"  Time is already going WAY too fast.

Witt is wearing the Feltman that his Uncle Cade wore home from the hospital 17 1/2 years ago :)

10 Things I Learned Today

1.  Taking 2 babies to Wal-Mart means you will have no room in the buggy for anything other than the babies.

2.  Before heading to Wal-Mart with 2 babies, it is a good idea to have a little prayer time and pray specifically that little baby sleeps while in Wal-Mart and that big baby doesn't have a meltdown because you won't let him open the package of cookies you just put in buggy.

3.  Chick-fila mini hashbrowns make a mess in the carseat when given to a 1 year old.

4.  A 1 year old with yell "Juice" repeatedly the entire 10 minute car ride home if you do not share your much needed diet coke with him.

5.  Even if your newborn has always fallen asleep and been a happy baby in the carseat for the first 4 weeks of his short life, that does not mean he won't decide that he doesn't like riding in the car today.

6.  It is nearly impossible to get 2 crying babies inside the house and tend to their needs while also getting groceries inside and in the frig/freezer before something goes bad. 

7.  Sometimes little baby just needs to be held (all. day. long).  When this happens, the Moby Wrap is your best friend!  (If you are a mama to a little baby, you need to get a Moby Wrap...look them up!)

8.  When little baby baby wants to be held, big baby will want to be held too.

9.  Even if you get up and get the boys dressed for an outing (and looking mighty cute I must say), that doesn't mean you will get a shower that day.

 10.  Days like today help you sleep GREAT at night (well, in between those middle of the night feedings that is).

Can't have a post without some pictures of the babies :)  Here is a photo dump from the week so far...

Once again, Jack takes this big brother job very seriously...helping Witt get his paci in his mouth (even if Witt doesn't really want the paci :)

Jack wasn't sure about another day at "school".   Although drop offs are still full of tears, his teachers say he is doing so much better and even loosened up and showed off some of his dance moves (to Jesus Loves Me) for his class on Wednesday.  Oh to be a fly on the wall of that classroom :)

As soon as Jack gets up from a nap he has to run into the nursery to check on Witt.  As you can see, Witt is LOVING sleeping in his nap nanny!

I knew Jack was be a good big brother, but I am so impressed with how well he has handled his whole world being turned upside down!  He is a little more needy for his Mama at times right now, but that is to be expected.  Witt is so lucky to have Jack show him the ropes :)