Daddy Dates and Smiles

Hi All!!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend, I can't believe that January is almost over!  This year is already going too fast!  It's been a couple weeks since I updated everyone, so there's a lot to talk about. 

Jayce:  He's 6 weeks old now and doing really good - still growing like a weed!!  He's sleeping GREAT at night - I'm talking 8-10 hours at a time!!!  However, that's because he doesn't sleep during the day  :( boo!!  He'll take a couple 20 min catnaps here and there, but thats about it.  If he does take a nap (around 3 hours or so) then he wakes up after 6 hours at night.  I would definitely prefer him taking a nap, because 6 hours is still great for a 6 week old!!  And if he sleeps any more than that I have to get up anyways and pump!!  So daytimes are a little rough for Mommy.  He doesn't like the swing (we've tried multiple versions) and won't sit by himself even if we are playing with him for very long either.  He wants to be held and bounced (and yes, we've tried a bouncy seat too).  But he is Smiling now!!!  So exciting!!!  It makes things a little easier to see that he is a happy baby at least some of the time!!  lol and Riley likes making him smile! 

Riley:  It has been a trying week for Riley, and Mommy!  Potty Regression hit an all time low this week, and so we are back to diapers.  We were doing pretty good with the stars, and then after about two weeks he got stuck at 2 stars and its been a struggle.  So, after trying a couple more ideas (Thanks Janice!!) I just decided it would be less stressful to just put him back in diapers until he adjusts to the changes in our family.   We've also been trying to help things by giving him more one on one attention.  So last night he and Cameron went on a "Daddy Date!"  They went to Arena Cross in Denver.  (For those of you without a Y chromosome it's an indoor dirt bike track/races.)  Smaller than Super Cross, though.  Riley had a blast!!  It was a little long for his 3 year old attention span, but he did really good overall!! 

Next weekend is the Monster Truck show!!  Thankfully, they don't have to drive down to Denver for that one, it's just right down the road from us at the Budweiser Event Center.  (and we are hoping that Cam can get discounted tickets for that one at work too!!)  We also spent some quality time with our good friends across the street.  We have a standing playdate with them every Tuesday, and Mommy is looking forward to this as much as Riley is!!  Adult conversation is a welcome thing!!!  We have also set up weekly Skype (webcam) chats with Grandma Wilson!!  This is exciting because Grandma hasn't gotten to meet Jayce in person yet, but she can still watch him grow!!  If anyone else would like to Skype with us, just let me know (leave a comment or email me) and we'll set that up!  It's FUN!!!

Not much else going on here . . . Next week is Chinese New Year - It's the Year of the Rabbit!!!  So Happy New Year (again) Everyone!!!

Pictures of Jayce

Since we haven't had a lot going on and I have been slacking a little in the Pictures department, I thought I would just post some pics of Jayce so far this month.  He's growing so fast, I thought I should capture this time the best I could.  He's one month old now, actually 5 weeks now!  I can't believe it!  Enjoy!!

The fabulous Poopy Face!

Bed Head!!  (or Hat hair I guess too!)

Bothers!

First Bottle

He didn't take it - He just played with it!

Sling baby, just like big brother was!

One of the VERY few times asleep in the swing

All bundled up for a trip to the park on a warm day

Playing Patty Cake with Riley

He likes to be sitting up, rarely will be content laying down flat

Tummy Time

"I don't like Tummy Time!!!"

Grabbing at toys now!

My new hat Mommy Crocheted . . . Now Riley wants one too!

Moving along . . .

Hello Everyone!  Hope your January is going well - How many of you have already broken your new year's resolutions?!?!  Ha Ha!  We are doing good here in Colorado - A little cold the last few days, but it's warming up slowly.  Not too many events to tell you about, but I thought I would update you all on Jayce's progress and how we are doing as a new family! 

I think it's safe to say that we are starting to establish a routine!!  YAY!!!  Jayce is usually awake in the mornings, and likes something (or Someone) to look at.  This is our playtime, and Riley is really getting into this as well.  He's a great helper when it comes to getting me things I need or waving toys in front of Jayce to keep him entertained.  We still haven't reached the point where he will hold him or give him a kiss, but lately he's started touching Jayce's hands so that Jayce will grab his fingers - THAT IS PROGRESS!!  Afternoons are a little bit tougher, depending on if Jayce wants to nap or not.  He still fights sleep with a vengeance and so this is the time I put him in the sling and bounce all over the house to keep him quiet.  About every third day I'm able to get him to take a nap at the same time Riley does - and I treasure those days!!!  But at least I'm able to keep him content for the most part.  After Daddy comes home it's awake time again until around dinner.  Then he starts fighting sleep again.  This makes dinner time hard, usually one of us scarfs down food while the other holds him and then we switch.  Once he finally goes to sleep he's out for the night.  I wake him up before bed to nurse (usually between 8:30 and 10, depending on when he fed last and how long he's been asleep) and then I've been lucky enough that he's started sleeping for about 6 hours straight!!!  After that last evening feeding he won't wake up for another 6 hours, but after that he's usually on 3 hour shifts - which is fine because he goes back to sleep much easier at nighttime feedings (THANK GOODNESS!!!)  

Again, not a whole lot has gone on this week.  We went to MOPS on Monday, a great break for me!  And the wonderful Moms there had made a taggy blanket (kind of a security blanket with ribbon tags at the edges) for Jayce and I.  It's so cute, safari animals on one side and fuzzy giraffe print on the other.  Meals from moms at my church have been SO GREAT!!!  They only come three times a week, but we usually have enough in leftovers for the other days.  I think in the last week and a half we've only cooked 2 or 3 meals (that includes Lunches!!)  Riley's not too fond of some of the soups we've had (Spinach, Tortellini and Turkey Sausage to be specific!) but that's alright - we just make him a grilled cheese sandwich or something. 

 One thing I did this week was use my new CriCut for the first time!!!  I found one on SUPER SALE at Walmart just after Christmas, and although I wasn't planning on buying one I just couldn't pass up the usually $400 item for only $125!!!  (Especially since I had $150 in Christmas Money burning a hole in my pocket!!!)  ;)  Darn those Impulse buys!!  Anyways . . . Riley has regressed a little in the potty training department since Jayce has come along, I'm talking 2-3 accidents a day!!  So I decided that he needed some new motivation.  We had decided it was about time to try to potty train for dry nighttimes (he still wears a pull-up at night) and so we rolled that into it as well.  I made some stars on my new CriCut (with Riley's Help!!) and we numbered them from 1-5.  If he goes all day without an accident he gets a star, and if he wakes up dry he gets a star.  We started with 3 stars = a "treat" (new bath toy he picked out), and will eventually move up to 5 stars to get a toy.  After that we will extend the stars so that he has to be dry for a full 24 hours to get one.  So far we're doing good!!  No accidents and 1 night dry (out of 3 - not bad!!)  So he earned his first prize yesterday, and was so proud of it!!!  Here's some pictures from the experience:

Making the Stars

Finished Product

The First Reward

Enjoying the new toys!!

Also, we had a visit this week from some Family.  One of my cousins (well, Granddaughter of my mom's step-cousin actually) just moved to Colorado to pursue her dreams of becoming a park ranger too!!  So we invited Justine and her boyfriend Andrew over for lunch to get to know each other better.  We found out we have a lot in common, so we can't wait until Jayce is a little older and we can embark on some adventures together!!

Tomorrow, Riley, Jayce and I are taking a trip to the Visitor Center for Larimer County to visit some of my old co-workers.  Other than that, not a whole lot planned . . . Just lounging around the house.  Oh, I do want to leave you with a funny story from yesterday.  I spent most of the morning and early afternoon telling Riley to "Leave the Cat Alone"!!!  He loves "playing" with the cat - which means he lays on him, drags him around, squishes him, and shoves him into compartments (boxes, rooms, his toy box, the closet, cabinents, etc. - anything that can be closed and locked and the cat can't get out of).  After about an hour of Riley playing in his room (alone) I went up to check on him and found the closet door closed.  I asked if the cat was in there, and after about 3 wrong answers, he finally opened the door and I see the cat . . . locked in the large rubbermaid tub that is supposed to hold his toys!!  Then last night at about 7 o'clock I went down to the laundry room to wash a load of Jayce's Diapers.  The washer door was closed (we have a front loader) which wasn't usual, but not a big deal.  I open the door to dump the diapers in and I see this little Kitty face of relief staring back at me!!  Yes, at some point that afternoon Riley had locked the cat in the washing machine!!!  I scolded Riley, it was a short lecture though by my standards because it took everything I had not to start laughing right then and there!!  And then thanked the Lord that I decided to wash the diapers that night instead of the next morning!! 

Have a good weekend everyone!! 

Happy New Year!!

Wow!!  Is it really 2011 already!!!  It's hard to believe that this year has flown by so quickly!  So much has changed for our family this year. 

Well, an update on how things are going for us - GREAT!!!  New Years Eve wasn't anything special for us.  None of us even stayed up to celebrate!  Cameron worked a long day on Friday, and had another long day on Saturday so he was first to bed!!  Riley was soon behind him (after not taking much of a nap during the day and turning into a grouch as the night wore on), and then Jayce and I.  Although I think the order went Me, then Jayce!!  This boy fights sleep like it were a evil monster!!  Once we can get him to sleep he sleeps like a Champ!  It's getting to that point that's the trouble.  While I'm on the subject, I'll talk a little about Jayce and his habits now.  He's doing great at night, again once we get him to sleep.  It usually takes about an hour to get him asleep enough that I can put him in his crib for the night, and NEVER before 10:00 - no matter how early I start.  Which makes it difficult since Riley and Cam are usually in bed asleep by 8:30.  But once he's asleep, Jayce takes on 4-5 hour shifts.  He usually wakes up to eat sometime between 12:30 and 2 (depending on his last feeding) and then again between 4 and 6 (again depending on the last time he woke).  Getting him back to sleep after eating at night has been easy so far (I'm knocking on wood right now so that I don't jinx it!!) and so between 10 at night and 8 in the morning I've been able to get around 7-8 hours of sleep!!! (again you can't see me, but I'm knocking on wood!!)  Thankfully Riley has been great at staying in his room and playing (or sleeping) until around 7, 7:30 in the morning, allowing Mommy those few extra minutes of sleep.  In fact the last few mornings I've woken up to him laying in bed playing next to me, having no idea how long he's been there!! 

We are still dealing with some jealousy issues between the boys.  I think it will probably last until Jayce is old enough to play with Riley rather than just take up all of Mommy's time!  But Riley is always the first one to tell me (repeatedly some times) if Jayce is crying, or pooped, or spit-up, etc.  So he definitely watches out for his little brother!  And Jayce definitely wants to be in on the action.  He's not one for laying down - Literally!!!  This boy doesn't like laying, he wants to be sitting up and looking around - Which isn't easy for someone too little to hold his head up!  It makes for an exhausted Mommy or Daddy who has to hold him up all the time to keep him happy.  But I'm sure once he's big enough he'll give Riley a run for his money!!

Not a whole lot going on around here.  Today we start getting meals from members at my church to help out after new baby.  We are so grateful!!  This will be a big help in me keeping my sanity if I don't have to plan a meal every single day!  They come three times a week, for three weeks - A HUGE Help!!  And next week we start back to MOPS.  I'm ready to have an excuse to get out of the house every once in a while.  Also, Riley is doing Swim Lessons again this winter.  They start on Valentine's Day and go through the second week in March.  It will be good to get him busy with something that will wear him out again!  Other than that we are just hanging out at home.  I like being able to take things slow and enjoy time with my boys!  (Although I have to admit I'm looking forward to spring and warm weather already - It's hard being cooped up indoors with a 3 1/2 year old with THIS level of energy!  I'm hoping for a couple of 50-60 degree days soon, or else we may have to make a couple more trips to the Bounce place!!! 

Our Computer is FINALLY up and running!!!  We are still in the process of transferring over our old files, and when that's done the old computer will be Riley's.  He's so excited to play his Computer games that he got for Christmas!!  And I'm Excited to get the downstairs cleaned up of all the misc. boxes!!  Once the old desk is out of the way I can get to my scrapbooking table again.  I'm still so far behind - only a couple of days into our China Trip that we took nearly two years ago!  Ug!! 

Well, have a good week everyone, and sorry for the lack of pictures.  My days right now are spent with Jayce in one hand, and Riley pulling on the other - very little space for a camera!!  I'll try to be better in the next couple weeks!!