Summertime

We have had a busy, busy summer...doing what?  I'm not quite sure!!  There's rarely a spare moment, but most days I can't account for anything but housework, grocery shopping, feeding Carter, and maybe squeezing in a walk/letting Reid play at the park before it's too hot.  But tucked in there a couple times a week, we've enjoyed play dates with friends.  Several Mondays, we've gone to a friend's pool with our playgroup friends.  Not too relaxing when toting along a 4 month old, but I want Reid to be able to play with his friends, too.  Another sweet friend we've played with is sweet thing, Violet.  You might remember her as Reid's very first play date ever!  They are best buds and we are devastated that they might be moving soon :(  But for now, we're just enjoying their company!  Lacy (Violet's mommy, my school's Art teacher) and I decided to return to the spash pad they'd played in when they were little. 

 

She is a wonderful photographer, too, and took some great pics of the kids.  As much as I'd love to claim these as mine, the next four were taken by her.  She's going to give me the low down on my 'fancy' camera the next time we play!

It was actually cloudy and quite chilly that day, oddly enough.  When the kids ran up shivering, we decided to re-dress and head to another park to play since the weather was unseasonably cool.
 

Carter even cooperated most of the day.  He loved Violet, who kept getting him to smile.  

We were excited to have Daddy home for an extra day for the Fourth of July.  We didn't do much, but it was great to have an extra family day!  On a whim, I snapped a few patriotic pics of Carter, and this one ended up being one of my favorite ones of him yet.

 

 We had a MUCH anticipated visit from Aunt Lala, Ben, and Alex this month, too!  They were supposed to come on a Monday, but poor Alex woke up throwing up.  I'm not sure if Laura and I or the boys were more disappointed!  Reid kept asking me questions every five minutes such as, "Is Alex still throwing up?  Can they come anyway?  Why is he sick?  Is he okay?"  Fortunately, it must've been a short-lived stomach bug and he was good to go the next morning, so they could still come.  Ben was so sweet meeting his new cousin for the first time.  He was very patient and concerned any time Carter would cry, but so careful and sweet...

...even when Carter decided he was hungry and got a little cranky, Ben didn't lose his cool!

Alex enjoying meeting Carter, too, but when Carter wasn't too interactive, he decided the Bumbo was more fun.  It cracks me up because Reid has been doing the same thing...but who knew an almost first grader could still fit?  :)  Reid has also had just as much fun with all the baby toys lately.  Probably more than Carter!

What trip is complete without the traditional bathtub pic??  We didn't figure Carter was quite old enough yet, and with these growing boys and their long legs, there sure wasn't room for a baby tub!

We had a fun time playing at the pool, a neat park, splash pad, and some quiet time at home.

 One hot afternoon, we went to Kid Mania which is a cool indoor playground.  The kids had a blast!

They tired out of playing in the nets and tunnels and were begging to play in the money pit (I mean...*arcade*).  Laura appeased them by a trip to the photo booth.  It was hilarious to listen and watch!

 

We deliberated on sleeping arrangements and decided all the big boys could sleep in Reid's "new" room.  The first night, it didn't work so well at first.  Too much fun ;)  The second night, we split them up after a crazy book reading time (Reid was a maniac and playing the whole time, as you can see) and they were so tired that they all went right to sleep.

We did have to get a picture of all the Shepherd side cousins together.  No one was really wanting to cooperate at first...

But we finally got a good one of everyone!

Another cute one...  Alex held Carter just long enough for a pic, then quipped something to the effect of, "Can you take him now so he won't spit up on me?"  After the boys had seen how much and how often Carter spits up, I was honestly surprised they let us pose them with him at all, but they were good sports!

We had so much fun!!  It's always hard to say goodbye, but how wonderful to know we'll be traveling south that first week of August to see them again :)  Yay!

4 Months

Happy four months (last week) to our ever-growing boy!  It's getting a little trickier to take pictures of him.  He loved kicking his leg up on the side of his chair and I kept giggling, which probably didn't help.

He also likes trying to pick things up with his toes.  Hmm...guess he gets that from me.  I never realized I did that until Jason pointed it out a few years ago!  His tiny little toes can pinch pretty hard, too.

After a couple dozen pics, I finally got a winner!

He finally loves tummy time, thank goodness!  His little neck keeps getting stronger and stronger, and he has begun to roll from belly to back. 

"What??  You mean...I'm supposed to sleep at night?!"

No, he's (still) not sleeping through the night.  I think he's made it 11 hours two different nights, but it seems like since we've switched formula to a new Similac Sensitive, he hasn't cared much about eating.  So rather than eating the 30 ounces he's supposed to, he's only getting about 20 ounces.  But the pediatrician said to quit feeding him in the middle of the night (which I'd been doing two to three times a night) so he'd get used to eating all his calories during the day.  I did...but he's still not sleeping worth a darn.  He was eating plenty before we switched...just gassy.  I can't blame him for not wanting to eat this kind...it smells like dry cat food!  (going down and coming back up!)  Yuck.  :(  I decided to switch formula yet again and try the Gerber, but a gentle "for gassy, fussy babies."  Today is day one, so fingers crossed that he'll eat more and sleep better!!  I am one tired mommy.

Reid has been dying to go to the pool again since he took swim lessons, so when the pediatrician gave us the green light for Carter, I bravely took both boys by myself the next day because I (stubbornly) didn't want to wait until the weekend.  I'd forgotten how l-o-n-g it takes to get a baby ready for the pool!  Baby sunscreen, disposable swim diaper (that's way too big, so I also did a cloth swim diaper over it), swimsuit, SPF swim top, hat, grungy pool stroller, baby float, Reid's puddle jumper since I wouldn't be right by him 24/7, diving rings, snacks, drinks, towels, etc. etc. etc.  I was just about to give up!  Reid was in charge of one thing...his new goggles.  And did he remember to bring them?  No.  And he was mad at me.  Really?!  After all that, Carter didn't really care too much for the water, so he and I basically sat on the edge.  Not exactly a great first trip to the pool, but everyone survived. 

I'm trying to get us out of the house at least once a day (possibly for my own personal sanity), so we've been out and about doing lots of free things.  I hadn't taken Reid to Towne Lake Park, or "the ducky pond" as Reid refers to it, in quite some time.  Both boys woke up early one morning and it was actually kind of cool and overcast at that point, so it was the perfect day.  We ate a picnic breakfast where Reid was fascinated with a squirrel who came right up to us and ate his Bel-Vita crumbs (hope those don't hurt squirrels!).  Then we took a lap around the big lake in hopes that a cranky Carter would nap so we could feed the ducks without him screaming.  Didn't really work.  We did eventually get to feed the ducks and geese.

Our afternoons are the hardest stretch.  Reid hates "rest time" and has given up naps.  I told him he has to stay in his room and do something quiet.  Even though he has a million toys and books, he would rather cry and scream once he's been in there for a little while.  Um, no.  We're trying to put a quick stop to that.  And Carter still won't nap more than 45 minutes at a time most days, so I really get no break to do the stuff around the house that requires me to be kid free for a few minutes.  We finally had to break down and get someone to spray the yard for mosquitoes, which has helped a lot, so we can actually go outside in the mornings and afternoons now.  Until then, I kind of felt like we were prisoners in our own house some days.  Reid is still loving all his new birthday toys, thankfully, and this cool marble run has kept us entertained.  He can't really build it himself (and wants it EXACTLY like the one on the box) yet, but loves running the marbles down the slides, especially with an audience.  As an added bonus, the marbles themselves have been very entertaining.  He counts them, sorts them, lines them up, adds and subtracts with them, and so on.

 Another great toy has been these magnetic builders.  At first, he only wanted to make the things on the box, but we finally convinced him you can build ANYthing, not just the stuff on the box!  That opened up all kinds of possibilities, especially if you add some cars to the mix. 

We are thankful to have these summer months to play and get used to our new family dynamic.  I'm figuring out that it's hard to balance time between two kids who are very different ages (one who will remember and one who will not, but needs a lot more help!).  I often feel torn or guilty on who to help with what, first. But there are those wonderful moments where Reid surprises me and will go give Carter baby toys, sing him the "ABC" song to make him stop crying while Mommy is packing the car for the pool, or beg to take a bath with him each night.  Thankfully, he loves his little bro and is looking forward to when he can play "with big boy toys."