A visit with Great Granny & PaPa

Kai, Sage, and I visited my grandparents the other day. At first Sage was Mr. Shy Guy, but after a little while he warmed up to them. I feel very blessed to have my grandparents in my life. They are wonderful people and I'm so glad my boys are able to experience their love like I have.

Beautiful Fall

I love fall! When we lived in Florida, I really missed the leaves changing color. Check out the view from our living room window...such a beautiful sight!

Our new favorite game...

Since it's Halloween time, I wondered how Sage would react if I hid behind his bedroom door and said "Boo!" when he walked past me. The first time he did it, he laughed so hard he snorted. Ha ha! Then, I quickly jumped up and ran into the living room to hide behind the tv stand and did it again. Sage laughed so hard that I was laughing so hard, I snorted! =) We played this game for at least 30 minutes the other night - me running back and forth between rooms to hide behind doors and him coming to find me. I finally thought to capture some of it on video towards the end of the game. You'll get to hear Sage's precious laugh!

It's official...

I have my Master's Degree in Educational Administration. I received my diploma in the mail yesterday. Woo hoo! Now, I just have to pass the licensure exam to get my certification (that's in January).

Sage's first haircut

Jared and I have been disagreeing on when to cut Sage's hair. Before Justin and Cora's wedding, Jared was all about cutting his hair. But, I thought it was so cute and didn't want it cut before his first birthday. Sage's first birthday has since passed and his hair had gotten ridiculously long in a few patches. It's curly, so it's less noticeable. But, the other day, I pulled a curl out straight and it was at least 5 or 6 inches long.

So, the other night, Jared was at work and I had Sage in the bathtub. I cut his hair. Well, cut is an exaggeration. I just trimmed a few of the super long curls that were sticking out like Crusty the Clown. Now, I would never even attempt to cut his hair if it was straight. But, since it's super curly, I thought I could do a decent job. I didn't say anything to Jared - I wanted to see if he would notice. And, he didn't. Ha Ha!!!

I actually had to tell Jared two days later that I cut Sage's hair. He was mad - for a second or two. But, seeing as how he didn't even notice it was trimmed, there was no reason for him to be mad. Now, Sage looks just a cute as ever. No more Crusty the Clown look for him!

Kai's test results and Sage the monster =)

Kai's test this morning showed no structural abnormalities. That's a great thing. So, now we just have to try different formulas and medicines until we find a combo that helps. In the meantime, I'm grateful for the friends and family who have shared their support and advice.

I spent some extra one-on-one time with Sage today because Jared was home. He's so independent! The little guy use to eat anything we would put in front of him. The last few days, he is refusing to eat certain foods - things he appeared to like a few days ago. He actually spits them out or won't even open his mouth. I guess he just realized that he can say no. Uh oh!

Sage has also started throwing temper tantrums. Already?!!! When he gets mad, he tries to bite us. Or, he throws himself on the floor on his hands and knees and spins himself in circles. (I have to get some video of this because it's actually quite humorous.) Sometimes, he rolls on the ground or even bangs his hands and feet on the floor. My question is - where on Earth did he learn to do that? I've always wondered that when I've seen my niece and nephew throw fits - who taught them to do that? But, obviously, Sage has never seen Jared or I throw ourselves on the ground or bite people when we're mad - it makes me think babies just naturally know how to throw tantrums. Weird.

Any advice for the biting??? Sage used to bite us to test out his new teeth - which by the way he now has 6 teeth (2 more of the top front teeth came in). But, now that he's started biting on purpose when he's mad, that's not acceptable. And, it hurts!

Reflux woes

The last 48 hours or so have been a real test of my patience. Kai is really struggling with reflux and is SUPER irritable because of it. He cries nearly all the time, is struggling to eat, and is hardly sleeping. Poor little guy! I feel so bad for him. He was crying earlier and I was crying right along with him. This is the first time all day that I've been able to put him down for more than 5 or 10 minutes.

Kai is going to have an upper GI test done tomorrow at Children's hospital. I guess the test is to look for any abnormalities that may be causing his reflux. Hopefully something gets figured out and quickly.

Sage has been relatively patient with the whole situation. But, that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty that he missed out on lots of attention today.

cutie pie Kai

Rock-a-bye Baby Brother!

Such a sweet moment. You can even catch Kai smiling near the end of the video.

Fun at the Magic House

Crawling through the tunnel. Fun for Sage, not so much fun for mommy. I had to crawl through very quickly after him to keep him from going down the stairs on the other side! Oh, my aching knees!;)

Fun at the waterworks!

Playing in the sand...

Whipping up a meal in the play kitchen

tunnel of mirrors


Sage and I spent a recent rainy afternoon playing at the Magic House. Guess which part was his favorite - waterworks, of course! When I picked him up to leave that area, he started crying and then proceeded to bite me on the shoulder! Little booger. Next time, I'll carry him away facing outwards. ;)

Momentary Meltdown times 2!

What's more fun that one crying baby? Two, of course! Welcome to life with 2 under 2. Gotta love it.

Lazy Day!

Aren't they so adorable?

Bring on the sunshine!!!

It has been cold and rainy for what seems like forever here - at least a week or so. Both boys are sick and we are ready for a healthy dose of sunshine!

Sage started the sickness with a cold he brought back from the lake a couple weeks ago. He passed it to me and then to Kai. Kai is doing okay, but did have a short stint in the ER on Sunday night because he was having trouble breathing. All that snot and goo was stuck in his throat and I couldn't get it out with the bulb syringe. I was too worried about his breathing to wait until Monday morning, so we went to the ER. They hooked him up to the eletric powered sucker and cleared him right up. He's doing much better.

Sage's cold is gone. His ear infection did not clear up, so he's on a second round of anitbiotics for that. And, unfortunately, he traded his cold for croup. Ugh! Last night, I kept hearing him moaning in his crib. When I went to check on him, I was horrified by the sounds he was making. Poor baby sounded like he was breathing through a straw - totally raspy, wheezing, shallow breaths. Then, he coughed and it sounded like a bark. I tried not to freak out because he seemed to be doing okay as far as getting enough oxygen and everything. Since it was already 4 in the morning, I decided to wait it out until the am to go the doctor. Doc prescribed steroids for the croup and said it should be gone in a few days.

In the meantime, though, we have to keep Sage and Kai separated as much as possible. Croup is highly contagious and much more dangerous for newborns as their airways are smaller to begin with. So, I'm walking around with disinfectant wipes. We have hand sanitizer in every room of the house. And, because Sage tends to wipe his snotty nose on my shirt, I'm even changing shirts when I go from one baby to the next! Jared and I are playing man-on-man defense and sticking with one baby all day/night as much as possible to avoid cross contamination.

Needless to say, I can't wait for the sun to come out and the sickness to clear up! So ready for spring and it's not even winter yet. =)

Every little thing's gonna be alright...

The boys went to the doctor today. Jared had to work and I had a minor freak-out when he told me that. How on Earth was I going to handle both boys at the doctor by myself when they were both going to be getting shots. Thank God for mothers!!! My mom met me there to help out.

Kai now weighs 7 lbs., 2 oz. and is 19 inches long. Doing great!!! Screamed bloody murder when he got his shot. But, laughed out loud when Dr. Ortiz told Sage he would be getting 4 shots. Of course, he was laughing in his sleep, but the timing was so perfect.

Sage now weighs 23 lbs., 15 oz. and is 31 inches long. Very big! He has a cold and an ear infection, so no shots for him today. Dr. Ortiz is very impressed with Sage's demeanor - always happy and "so sweet." He is a happy little guy.

Feeling very blessed these days. Even in the midst of chaos. For example, this evening, I was making dinner, Sage was playing with his shape sorter on the floor in the kitchen, and Kai was sleeping. We had the i-pod on listening to some Bob Marley. Sage and I were dancing as I was waiting for the meat to defrost. All the sudden, Kai is screaming because he's hungry. I have to put Sage down to get Kai. So, Sage starts screaming. Two screaming boys for a couple minutes until I Kai's bottle goes in his mouth and Sage gets distracted by the magnets on the fridge. I look around the kitchen - dishes and ingredients are spread out all over the counters, colored plastic shapes are all over the kitchen floor, Sage is playing quietly with the magnets, Kai is eating, and I'm exhausted after a long day. But, Bob Marley's singing, "Every little thing's gonna be alright," and it is. Life is good. Everyone sat together at the table for dinner (as we do nearly every night). At the end of the day, we're all home as a family - the boys are healthy and oh so handsome, Jared and I are great and feeling content. We have food to eat, a house of our own, jobs to go to, lots of great friends, and the best family ever!

It is true, "every little thing's gonna be alright."