Showing Off

Teddy has been learning lots of new tricks lately! Ignore the bruises on his head (we're big into falling down these days!) and take a look at what he can do.

Men at Work

We put the boys to work last weekend, as you can see. Lots of fun... although I guess we'll have to wait a few more years until they can really get to work on the yard!

Baby Scarface

In the middle of our crazy couple weeks of swine flu, pneumonia and various other illnesses, Henry did a faceplant into our coffee table and took a trip to the ER. He had to be sedated to receive these four stitches, which he had removed today. It was quite an experience, to say the least.

It seemed to heal OK, but I honestly don't see how it can't leave some sort of scar. Argh... boys! I'm told that scars are cool on guys, though, so hopefully it will make him look rugged and appeal to the ladies in about 20 years.

Hot and Cold...

It's been WAY too long since I've posted. I really need to get pictures up, but for now, a discussion today with Henry was just too good to ignore.

The scene: The boys are finishing up dinner. Henry asks for an "applesauce" aka yogurt (don't ask me why he calls it that!).

Right now, he's loving the "Go-gurt" kind of yogurt, basically, yogurt in a tube. Of course they all are branded with characters, so right now we have "Ro-gurt," which is the Scooby-Doo brand (get it?!).

The tubes have characters on them... Henry had Shaggy and Teddy had Daphne.

Henry: Who do I have?

Mommy: You have Shaggy.

Henry (Pointing to Teddy): He's hot.

Mommy: He's hot? What? The yogurt is cold...

Henry: No, he's hot!

Then it dawned on me... Matt gave Henry the great insight a few nights ago that Daphne was the "hot" Scooby-Doo character. Teddy's yogurt had Daphne on it.

Daddy... always teaching the boys the important things in life! :)

Rock With You!

Daddy has been playing a lot of Michael Jackson in the car lately. That means Henry and Teddy are expanding their musical knowledge beyond the Wiggles. Which is good thing, I think - how many 2-year-olds can belt out MJ?

Sing it, Henry!

Fun Times at the Fair

We went to the Pierce County Fair this past week with some family - lots of fun! Layla and Henry were lucky enough to get a wristband so they could go on unlimited rides. We visited the animals and, of course, had lots of yummy food.

Henry wasn't so sure of the rides - but Layla's enthusiasm got him into it!

Checking out the rides!

Playing a shoot-'em-out game. Uncle Randy won!

Feeding baby goats at the petting zoo.

The end of the day. Teddy had dumped water all over his outfit, so we had no choice but to strip him down to a diaper and strap him back in the stroller. Very classy look, so we decided to take a shot of it. But let's be honest - he fit right in at a county fair!

Right and Wrong

A quick recap of a cute conversation I had with Henry this morning...

I asked him to put a pair of PJ pants on, while I was busy getting breakfast ready for Teddy this morning.

Henry: (Running upstairs to me) Momma, I put my pants on by myself!
Me: Yay! Great job!
Henry: I put them on - I put the left leg on and the wrong leg on!
Me: The wrong leg?! You mean right and left?
Henry: No - left leg and wrong leg!

He was so adamant about it, it made me laugh. Cute!

Dancing Queen

One of Teddy's newest tricks, in addition to walking, falling and banging his head everywhere, is dancing. When he hears music, we now can say - dance, Teddy, dance! - and he'll start waving his hands and bobbing his head. Pretty cute stuff!

Here's some video that demonstrates what happens when he's moving to the music. And what happens when Lola gets too involved in his toys. Oh, Lola.

Our Loving Nana

As most everyone knows, this past week our beautiful Mom and Nana passed away after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. We're all still reeling from the news and trying to adjust to life without her. It won't be easy. If there was anything she loved more than her children, it was her grandchildren. She loved spending time with Henry and Teddy. I am so happy that in the past few years we've been able to spend lots of time with her and the boys.

Layla called her "Gaga" (couldn't say grandma, back in the day!) but she always wanted to be called "Nana", in a nod to her Italian heritage. So our boys called her Nana, which she loved. Two names are better than one!

I'm trying to cope with the sadness by remembering good times, so I think from time to time I'll post some pictures and stories of her. I hope Great-Nana likes it, too (I know you're reading!).

These pictures are from a photo shoot we did back in January. It was only the coldest day of the year - and of course we had to bribe Henry to sit (somewhat) still by going to Dairy Queen after the shoot! It was a really fun day, and Nana stayed overnight with us that night. Henry loved getting up early to cuddle with her and watch cartoons in the hide-a-bed! And I enjoyed getting to sleep in a bit! I'm so glad we were able to get these wonderful pictures.

Ted Takes A Walk!

Teddy has been showing us his new steps over the past few days. It's a wonderful thing to see right now.

He's up to about 5-6 steps at a time, although this first video shows him taking a few more than that - on pretty unsteady feet.

This next video shows what happens when big brother gets in on the walking practice. Henry apparently thinks that he can carry T-bone around.. some little Ted is not in favor of. And mom and dad aren't too keen on it, either!

Teddy at 10 Months

Happy 10 Months, Teddy!

Teddy is an active, on-the-go baby. He's also a piggy when it comes to food. He can easily out-eat his picky big brother.

Teddy has four teeth - two on the top and two on the bottom - and is really close to walking. He's a generally happy guy and has really adjusted well to daycare. He loves playing with the other kids and we're told that he gets extra happy when Henry stops in to say hi!

I'm a bit relieved to only have 2 more "month" pictures left... as you can see, it's no small feat to get him to sit still these days!

Cool Cousins

We recently spent some time in the Wisconsin Dells with family. Lots of fun, especially hanging out in the water parks all day!

Henry loved spending time with his BFF, cousin Layla. We were too busy running around to take many pictures during our vacation, but Matt did get a few of the kids.

Thanks again to Nana, Bumpa and Great-Grandma for the wonderful vacation. We loved it!

Walk on, little guy!

Teddy is now 10 months old... and he's probably only a few weeks away from walking. He loves his push-behind walker these days, so I thought I would share some video of him on the move.

Reason #2,359 Why I Love Target

We snagged this monster shopping cart at Target the other day, and we had to take a picture of it. Loved it! Usually we have to resort to Teddy sitting in the baby seat and Henry sitting in the cart itself (which makes me a bit nervous), so it was very nice to have the boys strapped in and facing each other.

My Target recommendation... have an online reservation system so moms can book the extra large carts ahead of time. I promise, we'll then spend even more time and money at Target than we currently do. If that's even possible!

Matchy-Matchy

I wanted to show off the cute matching outfits that the boys have, thanks to Great-Grandma Hemmeter. I tried my best to get a nice picture of them in the yard, but this was all I could get. Teddy looks slightly uncomfortable, but rest assured, no 9-months old were choked in the taking of this picture.

Teddy at 9 Months

Teddy turned nine months... a few weeks ago. I've been bad about updating on time, but I wanted to get the picture up to show our little guy off.

He's crawling around, pulling up on everything and even using his push-behind walker to walk around these days. I think he'll be walking within the next few weeks, for sure. The week that he turned 9 months, he also got his first two teeth. We think he's getting a few more on his bottom, right now, too.

He weighs 23 lbs 5 oz and is 30.5 inches long - just a tiny bit smaller than Henry was at the same age, but still within the 90% percentile.

Teddy is a happy little guy and just a joy to be around. Happy 9 months, Teddy!

A Boy And His Dog

We took a family walk around Lake Normandale today. It was a great time... H and T loved it and even Lola was on her best behavior. Not her usual spastic self! She even allowed Henry to walk her. He was pretty proud to be holding onto her leash!

Wagon Rides, 5 Cents

Mommy took the boys out for a wagon ride this evening.

I can't believe that Teddy is already big enough to sit up in the wagon! Henry loved hanging out with his pajama-clad little brother.

Yay for spring and wagon rides!

Teddy at 8 Months

It's been way too long since I last posted! Life has been busy and the boys are, too. In that time, our little Teddy turned 8 months old. His personality is really coming out now - so much fun! Lots of smiles and giggles everyday.

He officially upgraded his method of transportation from the "worm" to crawling a bit after he turned 7 months. Within days he was crawling all over the place and getting into everything... Lola's water dish, big brother's trains and more. So many things to explore!

Then, just after he turned 8 months, he started pulling himself up on everything. He can stand for quite a while now and is really making an effort to start "creeping". Teddy is so proud of himself when he's standing. I think he likes being more on an "eye level" with people (well, Henry and Lola, at least!).

I'm posting his monthly photo, as well. In the coming months, it will just get harder and harder to wrangle him into an appropriate pose. What can I say, the kid is on the move!

Prepping for the bunny...

Henry's daycare had an Easter party this past week - lots of fun! Cousin Layla came up to visit to join in on the fun. The kids dyed some eggs, went on a egg hunt and got to pet a few animals at the petting zoo - including a mini version of the Easter Bunny!

Brunch with the Boys

With two young kids, Matt and I don't go out to eat that often. It's usually too much of a hassle and ends up not being fun for anyone. Especially now that Henry is in the middle of being potty trained.

But Matt surprised me this weekend by deciding to take the boys out for brunch. I love that kind of spur of the moment stuff, but was a little worried that it would end up in disaster.

I don't know if the stars aligned or what, but it was a great time. Teddy was laid back and hung out in his carseat while Henry enjoyed his Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes. Henry even had a few successful ventures to the bathroom. Woo-hoo! All in all, we had a really nice time out. What can I say - small successes like these are a big deal with two little ones!

By this point, Henry was trying to spend some time under the table. We took that as our cue to ask for the check!

Teddy at 7 Months

Little Teddy turns 7 months old this week. He's on the move these days, not quite crawling, but scooting around enough that he can get where he wants to go. Which is making life a lot more interesting for mom and dad!

Likes:

Breakfast, lunchtime, dinnertime and every meal in between!

Gumming Henry's collection of Thomas trains

Watching big brother's every move

Dislikes:

Loud noises

Getting his diaper changed

Getting his monthly picture taken, where he has to sit still and not gnaw on something for 2 seconds!

Happy 7 Months, Little T-Bone!

Teddy on the Move!

It's not creeping, it's not crawling... but it's sure something!

For the past few days, Teddy has been on the move. It's kind of along the lines of the breakdancing move called "The Worm".
But he can scoot anywhere he wants these days, as you can see from this video.

Go, Teddy, Go!

Giggles

Teddy has been full of giggles these days. He especially likes it when someone sneezes!

Outta Sight, Not Quite Outta Mind

Ever wonder what happens after you walk out of a room, or you leave a place? I think back to an old Seinfeld episode where George thinks people are talking behind his back so he leaves a tape recorder in a briefcase to capture the group's unfiltered thoughts once he leaves. Anyway, back to my original thought, on Saturday afternoon Nana and Bumpa were flying out of town and needed a ride to the airport. They came by our place so Becky could drive them to the airport. But before they jetted off to sunny Florida, they were here for about an hour. They were having fun with Henry and Teddy, playing with trains; the boys were loving it. But then came time to leave. The boys shared some hugs and kisses, than the door closed. What happened next is a glimpse of what happens when Nana, Bumpa and Momma all leave at once.

Henry Dials It In

I recently had a phone conversation with Henry as I was leaving work. Matt mentioned that it was Henry’s first “real” phone conversation, so I figured it deserved to be recorded. It’s real interesting stuff, you know!

Matt: Tell Mommy what you need from the store… (handing over phone to Henry).
Henry: I need some apple juice boxes.
Becky: Juice boxes? Do you need anything else?
Henry: Umm.. milky. Yeah, milky. (He’s big into saying “yeah” and repeating himself now).
Becky: Ok. Anything else?
Henry: James DVD squares. (This refers to James, Thomas’ friend – and we think DVD “squares” mean DVD players, but we’re not really sure).
Becky: OK. Juice boxes, milky, James DVD squares – any last requests?
Henry: Ummm… Cars underwares. Yeah, Cars underwares – need new ones. (He wears Cars pull-ups).

What a list!

A little help from my brother...

Here's a shot of Henry helping Teddy get his daily neb treatment. Mom and dad don't mind the extra help!

Dr. Lechner, paging Dr. Lechner!

By the Beard of Zeus

Here we are Tuesday night, officially day two of my furlough. I haven’t accomplished much, a lazy week so far. With that said, I am currently working on one project that I have found to be pretty smart at: growing a beard.

I decided before my furlough that I would not shave the entire week, kind of like hockey players do when they begin the playoffs or like a bum does everyday. I’m starting to regret it now. I don’t like having face fur, it makes my face look dirty. I do like not having to shave in the morning though.

The funny thing about growing a beard is you start thinking about all the crazy things you can do with it. I have thought about crafting my face mane into a nicely trimmed goatee, muttonchops, fu man chu and the good ol’ fashioned mustache. I've even thought about shaving designs in my beard. But right now I think the plan is to keep the beard.

Sorry this blog post is so boring. It's like watching paint dry, or grass grow...on my face. I promise better posts ahead.

A Furlough's Eve

Hello faithful Lechner Blog viewers, it’s Matt here. For those of you not aware of my situation at KARE 11, I am required to take a week-long furlough (week off without pay). This is Gannett’s way of saving money, without laying people off. While I don’t like missing out on a week’s worth of pay, I do like still having a job. I have big plans for the week, a lot of things to do around the house. But before we get to the tasks at hand, I needed one night of fun to kick off my week. On Sunday night, Chris Larsen and I headed down to Canterbury Park, the horse track in town, and did a little off-track betting on the ponies. It is my first love (of my gambling loves).

What you’re about to read is my attempt at being creative. At work I get to be creative, but since I’m off this week (NO WORK-MANDATORY), my creativity will spill over onto the family blog. I will try and keep you updated on my furlough trials and tribulations. Here’s my first try, I call it “A Furlough’s Eve.”

‘Twas the night before furlough and Matt was not in the house, he was out betting on creatures, no not a mouse. The track had been callin’, I needed a fix, but with family and job, it’s not in the mix. But then came a word I’ve never heard—furlough—said the big bird. With a week off from work, and no place to go, I hoped to hit it big on a win, place or show. To Canterbury Park I want, no flight required, sure it was late, but I wasn’t tired. No alarm clock set for 3 a.m., excited to gamble, you bet I am. First race starts without a hitch, hey I’m a winner, but still not rich. Then in the second I bet on four, miss by a nose, I stomp the floor. I play a little longer, nothing goes right, a hard one to swallow with no paycheck in sight. But, it really didn’t matter that my wallet wasn’t fatter, because I’m on Fur-cation.

Teddy at 6 Months

Happy half-birthday, little Teddy!

Teddy turns 6 months old today, and it's cliche, but I just can't believe how quickly time flies. The first six months went by so much more quickly than Henry's first six months - I can't imagine what the next half of the year will bring us! Teddy has had a rough winter - he's weathered multiple colds and viruses, RSV, a hospital stay, eczema, milk allergy, diaper (!) allergy and he pretty much is attached to his trusty panda bear nebulizer. The doctor thinks that he'll still be needing his nebuilzer through April... hopefully by then, the worst of the winter cold and flu season will be behind us. But he's really an amazing little guy who has a sunny disposition even when he's not feeling well. He's just full of big smiles and cuddles.

T had his 6 month ped appointment last week, and he's weighing in at 20 lbs. 5 oz. and is 29 inches long. Those are exactly the same stats as Henry at 6 months, so it's interesting to see how their growth is pretty similar. They're both in the 90-95 percentile, so they're on their way to being big boys.

Teddy has been breaking out lots of tricks lately, including:

- Rolling over constantly! He's learning that rolling this way and that is a good way to get around, and has also started trying to scoot along by pushing his feet on the floor. I think he'll be crawling within the next month or so! Henry didn't crawl until he was well into his 9th month, so this should be interesting for us...

- He's babbling lots! Teddy has been saying "da-da-da" for a few weeks now and is often "talking".

- Eating lots! He's solidly on solids now and LOVES to eat!

- No teeth yet, but he's constantly drooling, so we're thinking we'll be seeing one poke through any day now.

Photo Shoot...

Introducing the latest professional pictures of Henry and Teddy! We had these taken with photographer Olivia Wagner back in mid-January. They turned out great, don't you think? Nana was in town, so she came with us to the photo shoot. Henry and Teddy were really wonderful for the pictures, although it's always a little difficult to get Henry to hold or sit with Teddy for a picture. We had to bribe him with ice cream... on literally the coldest day of the year! What can I say - promises of "coneys" always work for this 2-year-old!

Happy Valentine's Day

It's Wiggles Time!

Henry has a new group of friends... the Wiggles. They're a group of four Australian guys that sing and dance to such hits as "Fruit Salad (Yummy Yummy)", "D.O.R.O.T.H.Y the Dinosaur" and "Captain Feathersword".

Yes, the songs are as crazy as they sound. But Henry just loves jamming out with his pals Anthony, Greg, Murray and Jeff.

We took this video when he was sick with RSV and had a fever. We eventually had to turn off the DVD because he was dancing up a storm and we were worried that his fever would spike. He just loves them that much!

This is what happens...

...When a 2-year-old tries to dress himself. "I do it myself!" ends up making interesting, um, outfits!

Yum Yum!

Teddy got his first taste of real food this weekend! He tried out some rice cereal and loved it. REALLY loved it. I felt kind of bad for holding out the real food on him for the past weeks, since he pretty much went wild about it. We weren't in a hurry to get him started on it, and I wanted to wait until he was feeling better and we sorted out the allergy stuff. But I guess he was craving something more than just milk since he went nuts for it, as you can see!

Henry had to try it, too... he gave it a thumbs down.

Here's a link to a slide show of his first few bites.

Teddy at 5 Months

What a big boy! Little Teddy turns 5 months old this week. He's getting more and more active each day and is currently working on mastering the roll. He can flip from his back to his front - and vice versa - but it's a lot of work for the little guy. He's been flipping over at night and sleeping on his tummy in his crib, too. He often gets stuck in weird positions in his crib, though - the kid bounces around like a pinball at night - so hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon and the nights will go a bit more smoothly.
He's still on the soy formula and we've been trying to stock up his wardrobe with 100% cotton clothes to help the eczema problem. It's gotten better, but we're noticing that he's still super-sensitive to sweaters, fleece, etc. He's a delicate flower, I guess!

Teddy has also started laughing here and there lately - no better sound than that! Hopefully we'll be able to capture it on video to share with everyone soon.

Of Baptisms and Diapers

Teddy is going to be baptized in the next few weeks. At our church, before the actual baptism takes place, there's a short ceremony during mass a few weeks beforehand. They bring all the babies and parents together and you say a few words in front of the church. It's sweet and spiritual. Teddy's ceremony took place during mass this morning. And, thanks to Henry, I think Matt, myself and the entire church won't be forgetting it anytime soon.

It started when we were told to sit in the reserved pew in the front. Yeah, I didn't have a good feeling about taking a front and center spot with a 2-year-old, but we figured after the ceremony we could move to the back of the church. We brought a bag packed with snacks, trains and books, so I hoped we could get a somewhat quiet 30 minutes or so out of Henry.

He was a little antsy and loud (we're still working on "inside voices") but was otherwise really OK. Typical 2-year-old stuff, and our church is pretty family friendly, so you figure it just comes with the territory.

Then it came time to stand up in front of the church. Henry wasn't having it - and decided to play the "potty card" while the priest was talking...

Henry: (Semi-loud) I have to poopy.

Daddy: (Whispers) Just stand right here for a second.

Henry: I HAVE TO POOOOPY! POOPY!

Mommy: (Beet red, frantic whisper) Just wait a second, OK?

Henry: (Walking to the pew to rummage through my diaper bag) WHERE IS MY DIAPER? I HAVE TO POOOOPY! POOOOPY! MAMA, I NEED A DIAPER!!!!!!

As the words "poopy" echoed off the walls of the church, Matt and I looked at each other, totally mortified. It was so embarrassing... yet hilarious at the same time. We both tried not to bust out laughing, but it was pretty difficult. The priest just kept on talking as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. As if poopy talk is common during 9:30 mass.

Thankfully, the ceremony wrapped up shortly after and we grabbed our stuff and headed to the back of the church. Of course, Henry didn't actually have to go potty - he just knows enough from potty training that any talk like that from him means instant adult attention.

Ah... life with a 2-year-old. Gotta love it.

Soy Boy

Poor little Teddy. He's still getting over the RSV that hit him hard last week, but he's also dealing with an eczema outbreak as well. We've talked to many doctors about his issues and it looks like we might be dealing with a possible allergy or asthma issue. The doctor sent us home from a visit on Monday with lots of different creams and new formulas to try. It's possible that it could be a milk allergy, so he's trying out soy-based formula. He wasn't too thrilled out it at first, but now chugs it down just fine. And since we've tried it, he does seem a bit better, so maybe things are looking up? He'll go back to the doctor on Friday, so we'll see. Let's hope so!

Bouncing Baby Boy

Teddy tested out the bouncer for the first time this week - and he really seems to like it! Although he's not really bouncing now, mostly just hanging out, he likes being able to grab and look at the toys. Lots of fun! Henry loved the bouncer as a baby, too.

Henry likes to play with Teddy while he's in the bouncer, although we're trying to teach him to dial down the enthusiasm just a bit so little T-Bone doesn't get injured. Here's some video of the two of them. I think it also illustrates how the two of them share germs... this was taken just a day before the RSV outbreak. Henry loves to kiss his baby brother!

Ringing in the New Year with RSV

It's been a week of illness around our house. Both boys were diagnosed with RSV, Teddy spent some time at Children's Hospital and Henry's RSV turned into a bit of pneumonia. Since Mommy and Daddy are too tired to write out a long post, here's a recap:

• Last Sunday, both boys had the sniffles, but were otherwise in good spirits.
  
• By Monday night, they had both developed fevers, so we took them to the night clinic at our ped's office. They were also both wheezing, especially Teddy. As soon as the doctor saw them, she tested for RSV and we had to nebulize (aka neb) both of them in the office. They were especially worried about Teddy, since RSV can be especially dangerous for infants. They checked his oxygen levels and decided it would be best to keep him overnight at the hospital. So, we pack the kids up and head downtown.


• Note to self: When you head downtown at 9 p.m. at night, be sure you have a full tank of gas. We didn't and spent about 30 minutes driving on gas fumes as we searched for an open gas station with two sick kids in tow. Fun times!


• We finally arrived at the hospital and got checked in. Teddy and Mommy stayed there until Tuesday afternoon. Teddy was a champ, though, despite his illness he was full of smiles for all the doctors and nurses. I think he liked all the attention!


• Once we got home on Tuesday afternoon, Henry had developed a 103.3 fever that pretty much continued until Thursday morning. We took him to the doctor on Thursday and the doc thought he had developed a bit of pneumonia. The good news is that they gave him some antibiotics which seemed to kick in for him right away.
  
• As of today, they're both a lot better, thank goodness! Henry has a little cough but seems otherwise OK and Teddy is still a little wheezy, but not too bad. Let's hope they're on the mend for good!