The Chronicles of Pee and Poop...

Between the incontinent puppy and two kids in diapers, I probably spend more time dealing w/ excrement than most people, or at least more than I'd care to. I'm not complaining - the dog (and the kids, too, I guess) have been brought into this household on my own volition.

So, for the latest installment in The Chronicles - I go into Jack's room this am and he is standing up in his crib, naked from the waist down, diaper in one hand and pj shorts in the other. Not to mention how proud he was - jumping up and down and giggling. I couldn't help but laugh. The kid has outsmarted me once again, and hey, he's now reached his milestone of removing one article of clothing! He's been able and willing to remove his diaper for some time now, but he's only done it the couple of times that I've been stupid enough to put him down for a nap w/ only a t-shirt on.

It's probably my own fault. I let him stay in his crib and entertain himself for about 45 minutes this morning before I got him. I'm sorry but 7am is just too early to get up and around. Most of you know that I'm not a morning person to begin with. But, spending all night "sleeping" w/ a squirmy 4 1/2-month-old who feels the need to latch onto SOMETHING, ANYTHING every couple of hours makes it even less appealing. What happened to my little one who was waking only once at night and sleeping in his CRIB?! What a little stinker.

In other developmental news, I'm going to start transitioning Jack from his crib to a big boy bed. I started today w/ naptime just by leaving the crib rail down. He needs to get out of that crib that's now been used by about 5 or 6 kids before he destroys it. The jumping up and down is becoming a routine thing, plus I'm afraid that he will indeed launch himself over the rail at some point. I have to start looking for a reasonably priced twin bed and some safety rails that I may perhaps go ahead and set up in his room so that the option is there and he can get used to it. I figure that I might as well since Patrick is not sleeping anyway, it shouldn't phase me or Matt to get up a few times at night with Jack, too!

WHY!?!?

...does Jack insist on pooping in the bathtub at least once a week? I am exhausted and have been all day and the last thing I want to do is Clorox the tub, but alas, that's what I'll be doing tonight. I'll leave you with that to ponder. Someone please come up with a solution...I'm begging you!!!

Mouthin' off

Mr. Jack is increasing his vocabulary every day. For example, this morning he reached his arms out indicating that he wanted to hold the baby. I sat Patrick on his knee and he hugged him and said, "Hi Baby Yack (Jack)" I about fell out of my chair. He laughed because I laughed and then kissed him, too cute! And just now, I found him knocking over the closed (thankfully) container of dog food and I said, "Excuse me," which he promptly responded w/ "Scuse me," in the same inflection and tone followed by a cute, yet sadistic little smile. I turned to Matt and said,"Did he just mouth off to me?" and he said, "I think so!."

G'ma and granddad sent a package today w/ lots of fun surprises. The popsicle holders were thoroughly enjoyed by all, including Patrick:

He actually held the thing himself and directed the popsicle straight to his mouth. He was taken aback at first by the cold, but after a couple of licks realized it wasn't so bad. This is his first experience w/ anything other than milk. Don't worry, I don't feed my 4-month-old popsicles on a routine basis - this was for cute picture-taking purposes only; ) He probably loved the cold since I'm pretty sure that he's already teething.Jack's first experience w/ a popsicle was yesterday and today he got to do it w/ the handy dandy no-mess popsicle holder and it went quite well.

Tonight we're taking Matt out for Father's Day (since he was on call yesterday) to the Asian Bistro which is his favorite place to eat around here.

Mommy and Patrick photo op:

Meet Roscoe...

Our new 10-week-old pit-bull mix we adopted from the humane society.

He's very sweet and very much a bounding, playful little puppy. It took a couple of days, but he and Sandy have established their bond/hierarchy and now play very well together:

He does well with the boys too...I had to teach him to be extra careful with them and he minds most of the time...."Hey, whatcha got in that wipe container?"The trick is also making sure that Jackson is careful w/ the puppy. Here's the sulken, dejected look of a boy who was just told, "We don't kick the puppy to get his attention."

All in all, he's a great dog. He seems to have a really good temperment and most importantly, knows who's boss and responds accordingly. One downside is that he is basically incontinent at this point. He pees about every 5 minutes, but is mostly pitty-pad trained in the house (because I'm not going to let him out 800 times a day!) I just remind myself that Sandy was the same way when we got her and since she was maybe 6 months old, has not had an accident in the house, so I'm optimistic.

Jacks's favorite words of the week: "NO" (a favorite among most his age); "hosh" (hush - he says it when the dogs are barking, just like mommy ; "Saaa-hee" (Sandy)

Patrick's favorite words: "aa-goo" and "gaa" all the while blowing bubbles with his drool; and now giggling when we tickle him and say stupid stuff

My boys...

Patrick's wondering "Hey, when do I get some of the good stuff!?"

He's getting so big! His 4-month check-up on Friday went okay. Only okay because "Dr. Ben" heard a new heart murmur. Probably not a big deal, but still not something you want to hear. We'll wait to see if it's gone by his 6-month visit and if it's not, he'll probably need an echo. He's weighing in at 14lbs even and 25 inches. He's starting to get long and lanky because he stayed on his growth curve for length, but dropped from 75th percentile to 25th for weight. Most likely due to the fact that he still has reflux and spits up anywhere from 3-6 times with each feeding. He's still growing out of a lot of his clothes - I guess he's just long-waisted. He's started laughing when he's tickled, too...so adorable!

(It was at this moment that Matt commented that "Uncle Fester" had come to dinner...leave the poor bald baby alone!!)

Jack showing him the ins and outs of the Hop-n-Pop, which he loves because he loves to stand up!!
(Wow...he can dance and brush his teeth at the same time...so safe...)

South Cove

Time at the lake last Thursday afternoon when Matt got home post-call. Jack was a little weary at first: But then, when he discovered the mud, he played with his sand toys and eventually waded in up to his waist - it was a struggle to get him out!

Patrick mostly just chilled in his stroller:

Cause when I dipped his feet, this was the reaction (followed by screaming):The red clay was a little much to clean off, but we all had a good time. I've heard from some people that there are "sandy" beaches along this lake, you just have to find them.

Weekend in Cary

The boys and I had a great time in Cary over the weekend. Friday, we met Steve, Brenda, and Jennifer in Raleigh at Pullen Park. (sorry no pics...my hands were full with both boys and no Matt to help!) We rode the train and Jack rode the carousel w/ granddad, and Jack looked at the ducks, got in the swing, and played in the sand. We later had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes where Jack ate his fair share of pizza. It was pretty good, I had never been there before. We then went to Cary Towne Center where I got to do a little bit of shopping - it's been a long time - there are no decent malls around here!! It was a fun and exhausting day - great to see Matt's family!

Saturday was much more chill. I hung out at my dad and Lisa's house and pretty much just played with the boys all day. They both had a blast with my parents. Jack loves their house and yard because there's so much room to run - and plenty of people that are willing to chase him for hours on end. Patrick eventually warmed up to everyone and had fun talking and smiling at my dad. It was so cute! Granny came over for dinner that night, but she didn't stay long enough for Patrick to get used to her so she didn't get to hold him very much w/out him screaming. Isn't it a bit too early for all of this clinginess?

Patrick and Grandanny talkin' it up:Jack scootin' his ride-on firetruck across the rock path:Jack and Grandma Lisa hangin out:

Grandma Lisa, and the sleepy one:And my favorite, look at that grin after Grandma Lisa gave me the hose:

Buddha, anyone?

WOW, that's a round belly. And not to leave out another cute bathtub boy...