Party Animals

It's been a busy summer for birthday parties, I suppose because Alex is at that age where he has real, bona fide friends that have real, bona fide birthday parties to go to.

We had two last weekend, including one for his friend Preston at The Little Gym. It's similar to Gymboree, although I think it may be a little more focused on teaching the technical aspects of gymnastics as opposed to just playing and learning. Alex had a blast, and every time I started to talk to someone and got distracted, I looked over to see Alex walking the balance beam or hanging from the uneven bars by himself. Oops, bad mommy. There were a thousand good photo opps, and I would've caught at least a hundred of 'em if I hadn't left my CF card at home. OOPS, BAD MOMMY!!! Yeah, I was totally bummed. But trust me when I say that he very much enjoyed using his outside voice inside and being able to literally bounce off the walls without getting scolded.

We also went to a farm-themed party at a local petting zoo, which happened to take place at the hottest time of the day on the hottest day of the year. But it was super fun, and there was a lovely and heavily air conditioned party room where we could go inside and get some relief from the heat. The first thing Alex did when we got there was run up to Sarah, the birthday girl, and say, "I got a present for you!" while shoving the gift at her.

The kids didn't mind the heat and they were very good about entertaining themselves while waiting their turns for the pony ride.

He rode the pony at least three times, and he was completely and surprisingly at home with the animals.

At one point, he was crouched down until he was nose-to-nose with a goat and had a kung fu grip on one of the goat's horns. While he was talking to the goat and asking him questions as if he expected the goat to respond, a horse came over and nudged him in the back with its nose. Alex immediately turned around in surprise, put his hands out and said, "Well heeeyyy, old buddy!!!"

As excited as they were about the animals, they were even more excited about cake. And after cake, they got a little bag of party favors that included a bandana and a cow sucker that turned their tongues black. Just what Alex needed to finish off his pirate look!

fun in the sun

I've been trying to get Alex outside to play as much as possible because he's the type of kid that needs to run around and burn steam, but it's been so hot that it's like pulling teeth trying to drag him away from his chair in front of the TV in the air conditioned living room.

Sometimes I can bribe him into playing outside if I promise that he can fill the baby pool himself and play with the water hose. I can almost always get him to go outside if I promise he can spray me with the hose, but let's just say I'm not usually that desperate to force him into the fresh air.

This was one of those days.

I really don't remember why he's in his underwear...I'm guessing it's because he likes to "pee in the garden" and undies are a lot easier to remove than swim trunks.

Isaac loves him a warm bath, but he isn't all that excited about cold hose water. So he prefers to lounge in his comfy beach chair next to the pool.

It has started to get "cooler" here lately, as in 96 degrees instead of 106, so hopefully it won't be such a chore to get Alex to run around in the yard. Woohoo, fall is on its way!

2 month check

Isaac had his 2 month check up last week, and our child is growing like a weed. He weighs 12 pounds 13 ounces (75th percentile) and is 24 1/4 inches tall (90th percentile). The doctor was very pleased with his growth and commented that, "These days, it's always good when your kid is a little taller than he is heavy."

But there were a couple of "non-routine" things that came up. I have to do some daily stretching exercises with Isaac's neck because it is a little stiff on the left side and his head is lopsided from favoring his right side so much. It's the same thing as when babies have flat heads from laying on their back, only it's on one side. I'm not sure that it is super noticeable to the general public, but we notice it, and it makes us nuts. So we are hoping that doing the exercises, lots of tummy time, and encouraging him to look to his right will help it fill out without needing further intervention (because Timothy bursts into flames at the mere mention of the word "helmet").

The doctor also detected a slight heart murmur, but Alex was being so noisy (imagine that) that he couldn't really hear exactly what was going on. He suggested we go see a pediatric cardiologist to have it checked out, but he wasn't very concerned because Isaac is otherwise healthy and normal and hitting appropriate milestones. While I'm not particularly worried about either issue, it is disappointing to leave a checkup without hearing the word "perfect". Then again, the doctor didn't dwell on either issue and went on and on about what a good-looking and healthy kid Isaac was.

He was great with Alex, too, chatted with him and taught him how to say, "sphygmomanometer". Alex spent the rest of the appointment bouncing off the walls and making as much noise as humanly possible. As he left the exam room, the doc told me, "You're gonna have your hands full with that one". Tell me about it.

Here is Isaac's 2 month pic as compared to Alex's. Apparently I didn't start blogging about Alex's well child check ups until 4 months because I can't find a post with his 2 month stats, so you'll just have to eyeball it.

Isaac

Alex

Of course Isaac is half naked, so that throws things off a bit, but I think he's probably got his big bro by a couple of pounds. And I have a feeling it will stay that way. Look out Alex!

Pre-Preschool Pool Party & Ice Cream Social

Alex starts preschool next week, and what started out as a casual "end of summer playdate" on Friday turned into a full-blown "unbirthday party" for Alex and his friends. I'm not sure how that happened..except that I sent out invitations and made tags and bought party favors...

The kids ran around in the sprinkler and splashed in the baby pools while us moms chatted, and then we had hot dogs and snacks afterwards.

On to dessert. When I sent out the invitations, I sent a self-addressed and stamped postcard that asked the kids to list some their favorite things - their favorite candy, fruit, ice cream flavor, and color - and send it back to me so I could create a buffet of ice cream toppings. Each kid got his/her own ice cream scoop and (with mom's help) got to scoop their favorite flavor of ice cream into their bowl and spoon on their favorite toppings to make sundaes. I think they enjoyed it.

We let the kids burn off a little sugar-induced energy, then wrangled them to get some group pics.

Oh how I love candid pictures of three year olds.

I'd say our "end of summer playdate" was a success. I guess that means it's time to start planning our "Pumpkin Painting Playdate"...

Portrait

Alex ran into the room with his drawing board saying, "It's B!!! It's B!!!" I asked him what made it look like B, and he said, "Because her hair is in her eyes." Ma, I think it's about time for a haircut.

2 months

Little Isaac Evans is two months old as of 3:44pm today, and he is just as sweet as the first day we met him.

He is so laid back, sometimes I wonder if he really belongs to me. Then I realize he might've inherited more from his dad than just his dashing good looks.

We are just starting to get to know him because he basically slept the first month of his life away, which to be honest, was just what I needed considering the amount of energy Alex is requiring these days. He isn't as expressive or vocal as Alex was (what kid is...!!?), but he has definitely started to reveal his personality.

Everyday, he coos a little more and has a little more energy than he did the day before. When he gets excited, he yells and waves his arms around and pumps his legs up and down.

I spend much of the day staring at him and whispering sweet nothings. Partly because I love him to death and partly because talking to him elicits some of the sweetest grins and giggles a child has ever produced.

He is happiest when we engage him, he loves to be talked to, and I swear he responds more to the words, "I love you" than anything else. He especially loves to watch his big brother, and his big brother loves to entertain him with his goofy faces and sounds. Alex is so ready for his little brother to be able to play with him, and I am so looking forward to that day.

He is so chill and happy and is about as low maintenance as a newborn can get. Not a day goes by that Tim and I don't look at each other and shake our heads, like, Is this kid for real?

He still sleeps well, although he puts up a little more of a fight than he used to and is taking shorter naps during the day (his brother-who-never-speaks-at-less-than-6000-decibels could shoulder some of the blame...).

But he LOVES his swing and will nap for hours in it if I let him, and lately, he has been sleeping through the night. He often goes to bed around 8 and will sleep until 5am, give or take 8 minutes, then we have a little bit of alone time before he goes back to sleep for a few hours. Otherwise, he gets up once during the night and goes back to bed, then wakes up later in the morning. All things considered, I have nothing to complain about in the sleep department. Thank you Jesus.

He still loves bathtime, although he hasn't fallen asleep in the tub in quite a while. We have now added baths to our regular bedtime routine, not for the purpose of relaxation, but to remove the ever-present funk of rancid formula spit-up that always emanates from my poor, pukey child.

Alex has been a high-maintenance child since birth, but there's one thing I don't take for granted about him - he was a clean baby. He rarely spit up, and I can count the number of blow-out diapers he's ever had on a single hand. Isaac, however...I just knew that that chances of having another clean child was slim to none, and Isaac certainly didn't blow that expectation. I am SO not used to having a child that spits up, which Isaac does frequently and voluminously. I'm often wondering, Is this normal?

I suppose I'll have to cut him some slack considering he is such an easy baby the rest of the time. He loves nothing more than to be cuddled, and if I had the time, I'd spend most of the day doing just that.

He eats well, generally 4-5 ounces 7 times a day. He is starting to outgrow some of his 0-3 onesies, mostly because he is so long in the torso that they won't snap in the crotch without stretching the neck out. I wouldn't call him fat (don't let the 3 spare chins fool ya) because he doesn't really have rolls like a fat baby usually does. I think the word "sturdy" is a more accurate descriptor. His 2 month appointment is tomorrow morning, so we'll see how he officially measures up.

I really can't say enough good things about this kid. I want him to stay exactly the way he is forever and ever, and yet I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Thank you for two great months, sweet child o' mine.