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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

Icky the Snowman

Snow pants and boots and hats - oh my!

Last weekend we dug out all the winter stuff to spend some time outside since it was in the 30s. Which seems downright tropical right now!

Henry helped make his very first snowman. Not the most attractive guy, as you can see, since the snow was pretty dirty at the time. Henry enjoyed putting his baby carrot nose in place and then pushing the snowman over after playtime was over. Adios, snowman.

Work it!

I've been making an effort to get in shape over the past few months. I joined a gym that I try to go to a few times a week, and for the days I can't make it, I thought I'd give a few exercise DVDs a try. Right now I'm using Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (the trainer from The Biggest Loser).

As you can see... Henry thought it would be fun to try a few moves, as well. And let me tell you.. it's not easy to do crunches with a 37-pound kid on your stomach, as I soon learned! But it was pretty entertaining to see him work up a sweat.

I just wish I had as much energy as him!

P.S. For the anyone who grew up during the 80s... remember "Get in Shape, Girl"? I had the "exercise ribbon". LOL. For a trip down memory lane, click here to see an old-school commercial.

Pretend Time

It's been very cool to see Henry start using his imagination when he plays. He's starting to play pretend and act out the things he sees around him. Very cute... and often entertaining!

A few silly examples -

- I've been making smoothies lately and Henry likes to watch me use the blender to make them. In the bathtub the other night, he took a few toys - placing a small cup filled with water and a small bowl turned upside down on top of the cup - and said "I makin' a smoofie!".

- When I get ready in the mornings, Henry likes to drag his toys into the bathroom while I'm doing my hair and make-up. This morning, he took a little blanket and put it on top of his sippy cup of milk and said "Cup too cold, Mama!".

And little Teddy T-bone is good... lots of smiles these days. Here's a pic of him giving a gummy grin...














P.S. I went back to work last week... which was probably pretty obvious due to the lack of blog posts for the last week or so! We're all adjusting pretty well, but it's taking a while to get back into the swing of things and the posts have gone along the wayside. I'll try to keep it up so I can share the cuteness! :)

Bill Cosby was right...

Kids really say (and do) the darndest things. For example, the other morning, one of the first things Henry said to me was, "I need some coffee, Mama". Hmm... not sure if a highly caffeinated beverage is what a toddler needs first thing in the morning! (However, I AM sure it's what mama needs!)

And I don't know if it's the age or what, but Henry has recently been into lining up his toys. Maybe it's the Thomas influence (shunting, anyone?), but when he's playing with something, he often needs to line it up just so.

This is what he does after bathtime with his bath toys...

And after he lines them up just right, he needs to kiss each one of them goodnight, of course.