Bedtime questions

Nile: "Mom? If Novi wanted to sleep in my bed I would hold on to him all night."

(holds up arms in circle shape)

Chunky Monkey

Novak went to the doctor Tuesday to check out a rash he has on his face and head (turns out it is eczema, but that's another post).

When they weighed him, he was 13 pounds, 14.5 ounces! What a chunk!

I looked back at our charts from Nate and Nile. Nate was about this size at 3 months - maybe a tad smaller. Nile didn't hit 14 pounds until he was 6 months old!

And I'm really proud to say that Novak is gaining all this weight from my milk alone! Woo hoo!

Happy baby grins

You can't help but smile back!

Baking Day

I'm done. I swear. With the holiday baking, that is. This year my sister, mom, and I combined to bake or make 9 different types of cookies and candy. Then earlier this week, Nile and I baked Swedish cookies.

This is not good for my waistline or my attempts to lose the baby weight.

But ever since reading about these sour cream sugar cookies on the "A Mommy's Blessings" blog, I have been really wanting to make them. And, like the frosting on the cake, er cookie, when I won the Cappuccino Brownies giveaway on that blog post, it was like fate yelling at me to make these cookies...thanks to Holly for the recipe! Here's a link to her blog - feel free to check it out!

So on Friday, Nile and I whipped up the dough, and put it in the fridge to chill. There was way too much going on yesterday, so I decided Sunday was going to be Sugar Cookie Day! This morning, after putting Novak down for his morning nap, we started in.

I have also been wanting to try this "cookie paint" after reading about it in Family Fun magazine. It's basically dyed egg yolks that you paint on the cookies before baking. We started with that, then Nile got bored. Since we had these unused egg whites, he decorated his cookes with an egg white wash and colored sugars.

Nate, focused on painting a special cookie for his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Chaney.

Hmmm. Nile, licking his fingers? Really? What a surprise.

Now, you have to remember that a 5 and 3 year old did this cookie decorating, so I think they look pretty awesome! Here are the finished cookies, waiting to be put on plates and "donated" to the boys' friends. (Remember the waistline? I'm not keeping all of these around!)

And the verdict on the recipe? Yum! This is a keeper for future years!

Heard this morning...

"I weigh 48 pounds, Nile. I can crush you with one fist."

Letter to Santa

Nate decided he needed to write a letter to Santa this morning.

I may not have mentioned my ambivalence toward the whole "Santa thing." I grew up not believing in Santa - I just figured it out at an early age and my parents didn't try to convince me otherwise (Thank you, Mom and Dad! Really!). I have never felt comfortable talking to the boys about Santa - because it just feels silly. So I haven't pushed Santa on the boys - and I'm just letting it develop naturally (or however they pick it up from others.)

This year, Nate has really bought in to Santa. And I'm okay with it. Mostly. I keep wondering how my little boy who questions everything just accepts this as a blind truth. But I'm willing to let him have this part of childhood. I mean, I wanted to believe in unicorns when I was his age.

So, back to the Santa letter. I let him write it himself - he has made such strides in writing since starting kindergarten - this summer the only thing he would write was his name (and grudgingly).

So I got out a piece of paper, and let him get started. He picked the blue paper, so unfortunately it doesn't photograph well. :(

Lately he has been changing what he wants from Santa at least daily - it varies from a new Pillow Pet, to a new stuffed frog, to a new fuzzy animal (see a pattern here? He is obsessed with stuffed animals). For months he has been talking about wanting a big fuzzy snake, but hasn't mentioned it in reference to Santa. (We have a big fuzzy snake in the storage compartment of my car...) But I didn't prompt him at all when he wrote this letter.

Der Satu

I wud like a big snake

Nate

Power of the shirt

Nile was lying on the couch, refusing to get dressed for school. Until I reminded him we had saved his "brown number shirt" to wear today. Then he ran to his room to change.

Doom-biscuit

Today I was teasing Nate and I called him a ragamuffin.

Ten minutes later, Nile asks me, "Am I a doom-biscuit?"

It took me a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about, then I asked, "Do you mean a ragamuffin?"

"Oh, yeah, a ragamuffin!"

Mistletoe

Last night at dinner, we were listening to Christmas music and one of the songs referenced "kissing under the mistletoe." (for the life of me, I can't remember which song it was...)

Nate asked us what that meant, so I explained to him that traditionally, people will hang up mistletoe in their homes, and if you find yourself under the mistletoe with a girl, you're supposed to kiss her. The look of shock on his face was priceless!

"No, no, no. Mom, boys don't kiss girls until they're like, 15 or something!"

Personal Trainer

I have my own personal trainer! And he works for free! (Let me know if you need his number...)

Ever since having the boys, if I need to exercise at home, I have always tried to do it while the boys nap. Finally, after the last few attempts to run at the gym failed due to a fussy Novak, and having had a difficult time getting both Nile and Novak to nap at the same time, I decided to try to do a video while Nile was up. Little did I know that I would create a monster ;)

For the last three days, Nile has asked me at breakfast when we will do my exercise video. He reminds me throughout the morning that I still need to exercise. Even on days like today, when I actually did make it to the gym for a run, he persists.

Today while I was cleaning up from lunch he set up my mat,

Started the video,

And told me that I needed to do the Level 2 workout because Level 1 was "too boring."

He even did some of the exercises right along with me (using the remotes as weights).

I have a feeling that I will be exercising at home again tomorrow...

How I got Novak to sleep today.

Ignore the fact that I haven't showered or put on makeup, I tried to strategically place the camera so I wasn't in the shot.

Have I mentioned I love the Moby Wrap? It's a beautiful thing.

Sleep, in any form

Well, the honeymoon phase is over. At least the one where the baby will sleep whenever, wherever.

The last few days, I've struggled to get Novak to sleep. Where just two weeks ago, he would sleep at the gym in his carseat while I ran on the track, now he will not. Yesterday I took him to the gym, he fell asleep in the car, slept while I dropped off Nile in the babysitting room, slept while I carried him up the tiny spiral staircase (bumping the car seat into the railing multiple times), and slept for about five minutes while I started to run. Then he proceeded to wake up, started to fuss, and the run was over.

Now if I were alone in the gym, I wouldn't be opposed to letting him fuss a little, because he might actually go back to sleep. But I just don't feel right letting him cry (even just a little) while there are other people trying to use the track.

So today, I thought "I will just get him to nap at home before we head in! That will work! He napped so well in his crib last Saturday!"

Right.

It's now 11:30, and after several attempts to lay him down for a nap (I've been trying since 8:45), I gave up, put him in the swing so I could make Nile lunch, and within five minutes he was sound asleep in the swing. I know, you're probably wondering, "So what? Let him sleep there! What's wrong with that?" It's the principle of the thing. I won't be able to put him in the swing to sleep forever, and I have this fear he will never nap in his crib if I don't start working on it.

But...I know I should enjoy this break, as long as it lasts. I have Christmas cards to address, gifts to shop for, and a 3.5 year old who needs attention. Off I go...

I CAUGHT IT!

Novak's smile! :)

Brotherly Love

Have I mentioned how much Nile loves Novak?

Novak's Puzzled Face

Nile says this is Novak's "puzzled" face. He thinks it's hilarious.

Two months old!

Today, Novak is two months old. Happy two month birthday little Pipsqueak!

(Still not able to capture a smile.)

Chilly mornings

Now that it's cold out in the mornings, we have been driving up to the bus stop. It feels a little silly to drive a half block up when we are perfectly capable of walking, but it's cold. That, and most mornings we are barely making the bus. If we were to walk we would probably miss the bus. That or I'd actually have to get us moving a little faster. :)

Baby smiles

Novak started smiling last week. His first "recognizable" smiles were on November 16. I have not yet been able to capture a picture, but when I do, I'll post it.

But I promise, they are awfully cute!

There's also this one, that looks like an Elvis sneer. He smiles with only half his mouth. I'd love to capture that one on camera...

Thankful Tree

Nile brought home this project from Sunday School. The 3 and 4 year olds were making a tree and on the back was a list of what they are thankful for.

When I saw this I was sure that number (1) was Novak. Nile has been loving (smothering) Novak since the day he came home. But I asked Nile which brother he was thankful for. His answer?

"N - A - T - E"

How cute is that? You should have seen the look on Nate's face when I told him. He had the biggest grin, turned to Nile and said, "Nile, thank you!" and leaned in for a hug. In true "little brother" fashion, Nile ran the other way.

Tummy Time

"Honestly, Mom? Why do you make me do this?"

Herky the Turkey

Nate has a running joke with his teacher, Mrs. Chaney, and a few of the other staff members (and some of the moms) at his school. All of these ladies are Illini fans. We, obviously, are Hawkeye fans. Nate enjoys wearing his Hawkeye shirts to school, and showing them off to the teachers. So far I've heard from two teachers, a few moms, and one husband - all commenting on what a great sense of humor Nate has, especially when it comes to the Illini and Hawkeyes. He's gone so far now as to refuse the color orange - I have had to remind him that orange is also the color of the Chicago Bears. Otherwise I might not be able to convince him to wear his orange jacket, or use an orange marker. This week he refused to let me buy him an orange shirt.

About a week ago, Nate brought home a big piece of brown paper with a turkey printed on it. Attached was a note. Each student had been asked to disguise his turkey so that it could make it safely through the Thanksgiving season. The note also requested that the turkey be disguised as a member of the family - or in a way that meant something to the family.

So what do you suppose Nate picked?

Introducing...Herky the Turkey!

He can not wait to take Herky the Turkey to school and show him to Mrs. Chaney.

I love that I am able to share my son and his crazy sense of humor with the world.

Self Portrait

Yet another of Nile's pictures. In this one he has figured out how to take a self-portrait (where he can see himself on the screen).

Second Breakfast

Aragorn: Gentlemen! We do not stop 'til nightfall.
Pippin: But what about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?
[Aragorn stares at him, then walks off.]
Merry: Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry: I wouldn't count on it.

Lately, Nile has taken to eating a second breakfast after Nate leaves for school. I think he's part hobbit.

(actually, it's probably more a result of not eating enough dinner every night...but I'll go with the hobbit explanation.)

Free time for mom!

There really is nothing like brand new Play-Doh! (to give mom a few minutes on the computer...)

Phipps Prairie Park

We took advantage of a perfect fall day to visit a park I had never been to before. The Phipps Prairie Park in Silvis is wonderful! The playground was fabulous, and it has a prairie and nature trails. I can't wait to go back and explore some more, we only had 20 minutes!

Tricks or Treats

This year for Halloween, the boys got to enjoy multiple celebrations. And multiple celebrations means the candy multiplied too. Exponentially.

First, Nile got to wear his costume to preschool on Thursday. Nate didn't have a party at school, but I don't think he missed out any. Nile came home with a small bag of goodies - not too bad.

Then we had a neighborhood party on Saturday evening. It was a lot of fun for all the kids to get together and play games. There was cupcake and cookie decorating (involving lots of frosting and candy), a "duck pond" game with lots of candy and small toy prizes, and a craft table. After the games, the boys ran around in circles while the girls played a toilet paper mummy game. (The boys eventually came back and played too.) Afterwards there was a hot dog cookout - neither of my boys ate much of their hot dogs or fruit. Want to guess why? I'm betting it was the cupcakes and cookies...

At the end of the party the kids went on a "spooky trail" - I wasn't able to go because I had Novak in the stroller. I'll admit I was a bit nervous about them going - I thought Nile might get scared and freak out. But he really wanted to go, so I let them, and I headed home to wait. About 10 minutes later, the doorbell rings. It's Nate.

"Mom, that was the awesomest spooky trail walk EVER! I was a little nervous but it was okay, it wasn't scary really!"

Nile, following closely behind, didn't say a word. So I asked him how the hike went.

"It was great."

Okay, then! Both boys had a great time at the party.

Of course, the next day was Halloween! I think the two boys were literally bouncing off the walls all day with anticipation. Finally, at 3:30 we let them get their costumes on. Nate was a superhero skeleton, and Nile was a baseball player. Below are a few pictures from our neighborhood. After we made the rounds here, we headed to Colona to Papa and Grandma's house, then to Hampton to trick or treat at Gramma's house.

Now, I have a dining room table covered in candy. I think we will be purging some of the candy soon. I've got a theory how I can make the boys do it...we'll see if it works!

Isn't this cape awesome! It looked so cool in the sunshine.

Nate, showing off his loot.

It wouldn't be a true family Halloween post without at least one picture of Novak.

I love when he sleeps like this!

Photos by Nile

First Bath

Novak had his first real bath on Monday. I was feeling incredibly guilty about the fact that I hadn't bathed my FOUR WEEK OLD...so I made it a point to get it done. To our credit, his umbilical stump didn't fall off until three weeks, so we had not been able to do a full bath and had been giving him "sponge baths." So it wasn't like he was totally filthy. But I digress.

We haven't yet gotten the baby tub out of the basement yet, so we bathed him in the sink. He did a great job and didn't cry much at all.

Well, he didn't cry much until he got out of the bath :)