My Guys, This Gal and Our Lives

So it's been awhile and the boys' are doing some new things:

Toby has his left front top tooth in. That makes 3. He is trying to get the right one in too and is a teething monster. Last week he had a cough (sounds like RSV) and fever and was incredibly fussy. I was working so Jesse brought him in so the other provider could take a look at him. Ear infections- both sides. Two now. His brother hasn't had a single one so this is new territory for us. He is on Amoxicillin and he hates taking medicine. We found a way to give it to him slowly that doesn't make me feel like I am torturing him.

He is a pretty happy baby most of the time. Since 48 hrs of antibiotics he is sleeping well again and that means so are we. He is crawling and getting up on everything. He is a super fast booger too. You blink and he is in another room. He is feeding himself better and is a good solids eater. He has been reluctant to try straws or any cup that isn't a bottle.

He hates binkies and prefers his thumb by far. Jesse Jay took to binkies during teething. Toby has thrown them. He has STRONG opinions about things and likes to make sure mom and dad understand clearly what his thoughts are.

He just LOVES Jesse Jay. Brother can take toys from him and most the time it doesn't bother him. He wants to do what he is doing and tries to crawl up on him- which (naturally) annoys Jesse Jay. I caught Jesse Jay subtly pushing Toby down off his chair and we've had a lot of talks about not pushing brother. This has only helped him get MORE subtle on how to get Toby off him without mother noticing. I feel like we are taking a step in the wrong direction on that one.

Toby can clap now, give high fives, and he mimics! We were all clicking our tongues- he joined in. We were dancing in the living room- he started dancing in his jumper. This morning Jesse Jay was saying "boo" and Toby was trying to imitate him (and got it right a few times too).

Jesse Jay is growing like a weed. I suddenly realized my tall guy was in high water jeans and I had nothing for him to grow into. Thank God for the 30% Kohl's coupon and we are back in business. My mom and sister are in town this week and we got to go to the outlet malls and shop and get him a decent wardrobe. My sister in law gave me some clothes she had been given as well. The incredible growing boy will NOT go naked. Phew...

Potty training is awful. He is enough interested to keep us optimistic, and enough not to be incredibly difficult and inconsistent. He is in this limbo of perpetual training. Gummy bears and M&M's are working as great incentives, but we are only HALF training. I won't go into details, but I'm sure you get my drift.

Jesse Jay is a little parrot. He loves to talk and learn. He watches his PBS shows and knows letters. We are working on ABC's and 123's. Sometimes he gets parts right. And sometimes the alphabet starts at "W, x, y, z." But it's so great he is excited about it.

Jesse (Sr) had his 28th birthday Monday. The kids were sick with these coughs and fevers and he stayed home taking care of them. We had a nice breakfast, but then I had to work. I felt bad his day wasn't super special- but we have celebrated a bunch the few days before and after. I got him the European Ticket to Ride Game and some Cinnamon Maple Syrup (honestly, the man LOVES maple syrup).

He has been busy with subbing and with the kids. These past couple weeks he has also been shampooing the carpets which look GREAT. The carpet before looked like we needed to have it replaced. Now it looks brand spankin' new. Only one more room to go.

I've been busy with work and working out. I have a couple ladies I meet up with three times a week and I've lost 6 pounds. I hope to keep going. But I feel thinner, my back is less painful, and I feel stronger. I still HATE 5 am- a lot.

It's getting late and I am getting very groggy. Goodnight.

Happy (7th) Valentine's Day

Jesse and I celebrated our 7th Valentine's day together, yesterday. Come this June we will be married for 7 years. Has it really been THAT long? Time has just flown by!

That morning, our friend had recommended a tiler for our master bathroom. He came in and gave us a quote. He's a really nice guy. Went to NNU, and is very good at his job. He started tiling our formerly carpeted bathroom yesterday. It's a joint Valentine's present. Nothing says I love you like, "Hey, let's minimize our risk of mold," right?

Either way, WE are excited about it. It's difficult sharing a tiny bathroom between the four of us. Only 3 more days of that and then we will have our bathroom back, and TILED!! Even in the midst of a housing slump, these are changes that do impact resell value in a positive way. Plus, it makes both os us happy.

That day we got ready leisurely. We went to Target and bought the boys a bunch of $1 Elmo books that Jesse Jay is just drooling over (and unfortunately refusing to share with his brother- even though half of them are HIS). Then we went to Red Robin and got Jesse (Sr) his birthday burger. I am working on his actual birthday (second year in a row) so we thought we'd do lunch now. I am taking him for breakfast on the actual day. And luckily, all schools are out for President's Day. Then we got some groceries at Winco and came home. We played video games for a couple hours and had dinner.

My husband is a phenomenal cook and baker. He grilled petite sirloins, made garlic mashed potatoes, and cooked carrots. Mmmmmmm, it was yummy! Then we had Umpqua Dairy Fro-yo Carmel Crunch for dessert. It was far better than if we'd paid to go out. He hasn't grilled much given it's winter- but I LOVE it when he does. The man is gifted, especially when it comes to his grill.

We had a free Redbox promo code. So Melinda and I got a movie each. She highly recommended Red, so I got that. She let me ask/beg her to rent You Again. You Again was a REALLY funny feel-good movie. I highly recommend it! And Red was an awesome action movie. Excellent Valentine's Day selections!

We snuggled. Stayed up far too late and put the boys down early. All in all, a great Valentine's Day. It wasn't super fancy or expensive. But it was still perfect.