Can you tell the difference?

Baby #1

Baby #2

This Sunday I dressed Bennett in an old church outfit from when Wil was about his age. They both look super handsome in it, but can you tell which one is which? It's actually pretty obvious, but there is no doubt they are brothers! It was fun to go back and look at all the pictures of Wilson and think, where did the time go? I love my boys and am so glad they are still too young to tell me no when I want to play dress up!

Bennett's 2 month update

If you can't believe Bennett is two months old raise your hand. If you could see me, both my hands would be way up! Bennett went to his two month appointment yesterday and I can't believe how he's grown. He has added 4 inches to his heighth (50 percentile for those who are keeping track) and is now 23 inches long. His noggin is in the 75 percentile, but he manages to hold that melon up high. He weighs 11 lbs. 13.8 ounces. I told the nurse that morning he couldn't be more than 10 lbs. Oops! It was interesting to look back at Wilson's records. He weighed exactly the same at his 2 month appointment, but was a half inch shorter and his cranium was only in the 30th percentile!
Bennett is very interactive these days. He loves to smile and coo at you and has the most interesting stories to tell. He has been an amazing sleeper the past few days. I don't even want to talk about it because I don't want to jinx myself. For the last 3 nights he has slept 8 hours! Now I am spoiled and can't possibly go back to waking up in the middle of the night or wee morning hours without feeling like I'm being jipped! He is a very sweet baby and is content to look at his parents, brother, and has even started watching toys for about five minutes at a time. It's great! I can't believe how big he is already, but I am glad he is still tiny and cuddly for now. More pictures to come if I can ever remember to charge the camera batteries!

Tag teaming mom

This is Wilson on the giant rocking chair at cornbelly's this year. It was super fun!
This is Bennett being cute in his little halloween outfit. He was so happy at this moment!

What a joke. I got home at 1:45 to put Wilson down for a nap. He proceeds to kick the wall for 15 minutes before he goes to bed. Bennett finally goes down at 2:00pm and the rest of the afternoon goes a little something like this.

2:00-2:30-Stephanie finally has lunch and a few moments to herself.

2:30-Stephanie is excited to slip into bed for what she hopes is at least an hour long nap.

2:45-Bennett has other ideas and begins to cry. Stephanie rocks him back to sleep and goes back to bed.

3:10-Bennett wakes up hungry. Let the feeding begin.

3:28-Bennett dozes off and Stephanie puts him in his crib.

3:35-(That's right, approximately 8 minutes later)Bennett is crying and mad.

3:45-Stephanie gives up and puts him in the swing hoping to buy herself at least 30 minutes. She returns to her bed.

3:48-(Yes, that's 3 minutes later)Stephanie hears Wilson talking to himself in his room signifying that she has about 10 minutes before he's screaming her name to come and get him.

3:50-Stephanie gives up the blissful idea of a nap and decides this afternoon is too good not to blog about. Maybe I'll add some cute pictures of my kids to remind myself why I do this thing called motherhood because it certainly isn't for the hours!

Bennett's New Tricks and Boulders in the Way

Have you ever just thought to yourself, "Could my kids be any cuter?" Of course, I think that every day, but yesterday was especially cute. Bennett has recently learned how to smack his lips. He has also learned that he gets a positive response when he does it. He's pretty good at it, too! We've also decided that Bennett is a little teaser just like his brother. For his nap I rocked that kid until he was completely out and then gently laid him down in his crib. As soon as his body hit the mattress his little eyes popped open. They were still glazed over, but he was conscious enough to let out three little cooes accompanied with a big smile. Then to make sure his message was loud and clear he ended it with the tiniest little chuckle. Needless to say he did not finish his nap in his crib! What a little stink, but it was so cute you couldn't be mad! I hope you can hear the clips, if not, just believe me that he can do it and enjoy watching 30 seconds of the cutest baby ever.

Wilson is learning new choice phrases, unfortunately not all good. One day he was frustrated with his truck and told me it was stuck. Trying to be sympathetic I said, "Oh, that dumb truck." Well, today I was trying to move the elliptical machine to a different room and it was wedged in the door. Wilson asked what was wrong and I said the machine was stuck. Wilson, also trying to be sympathetic, told me, "That's a dumb machine huh, mom." Oops!

Also, while playing dinosaurs, I was trying to teach Wilson to say, "Boulders away!" as we launched plastic boulders from a catapult made of dinosaur hand bones (I am still getting used to boy toys). When he tried it he kept saying, "Boulders in the way!", which I guess makes more sense because in a few seconds they were going to be in the way of the scantilly clad cavemen we were throwing them at. No matter how hard I tried he wouldn't change his mind that his phrase was better.

Peek-A-Boo and Cute Smiles

We've recently discovered that Bennett likes to play peek-a-boo! Every morning after I change his diaper and get him dressed, I duck down by the side of the changing table and then pop up to say peek-a-boo. We have gotten a lot of cute smiles from Bennett this way. One morning Wilson wanted to join the fun, but wasn't quite tall enough. He disappeared into his room and came back this his foot stool. It was so cute to see Wilson playing with his brother. Of course Wilson's version of the game ws a lot louder and more intense than mom's, but Bennett ate it up. I love to see Bennett's little smiles and know that despite all the times I feel like I'm failing as a mom and how much he struggles to figure life out, there are some times when I can't help but think he's already enjoying his journey here on earth! What a cutie!

Our First Trip to the Emergency Room

In case some of you haven't heard the story, here it goes. While Ben was in Idaho Falls (because isn't that how it always happens?) Wilson decided to smash his head into the fireplace. He was running around the corner into the living room like he's done a million times. He tripped over his shoes which he's done a billion times. But just the right combination of the two and ... BAM! I was on the phone with my dad and pulled one of these, "Oh my gosh, Dad, I've got to go...CLICK." I completely spaced any emergency training I may have had. I had to call Ben to see what I should do. I think I used the phrase, "I think I can see his brain" which probably made Ben panic a little, but the cut was soooo deep. Meanwhile, poor Bennett is on the couch screaming his head off because he was two seconds away from having dinner. I called a bunch of neighbors and of course no one answers. I finally called my sister and told her I was dropping the baby off. By now, Wilson had stopped crying and the wound had stopped bleeding which I thought was really strange. I was sure all the blood was going into his brain. Just as I was pulling out my parents pulled up and asked which kid needed stitches. I guess years of emergency room trips make you pretty wise to these things. They took the baby and we were off to the emergency room. The eeriest part was looking back at my son with the gaping head wound. He was just drinking his milk and reassuring me that he was okay. Once we got there, the ER lady was far from sympathetic. She just said, "Did he get a little scratch?" I was like, you call this a little scratch? Who gave you your medical training? Wilson was really brave and calm until they strapped him to the papoose board (a cute name for a toddler torture devise). The nurses had to numb the wound by sticking a thin needle into his head and squirting medicine directly inside. If that wasn't enough, then they had to irrigate it. I was like one of those people who watch horror shows even though they hate every minute of it. I just couldn't look away. I have never heard Wilson scream so loudly and it reduced me to tears. When the doctor finally came in to do the stitches, Wilson was just pleading to go home. The nurses had to switch off holding his head because he was thrashing so much. The grand total was four internal stitches and five external stitches. But, in true Wilson fashion, once it was all over he just sat on my lap and read a book and ate their popsicle peace offering. On the way home Wilson called his father to let him know he was okay and then we got chicken and fries on the way home. It was very traumatic, but I am amazed that we made it through. I'm sure the papoose board and I will become very well acquainted in the next few years, but I think I can handle it now.

While dad's away......

It is common knowledge that Stephanie doesn't like to be home alone all day when she knows Ben isn't coming home that night. Ben took his first overnight trip since Bennett was born. So, me and the boys decided to have some fun. First, we went to visit Kay on her last day before she had to go back to Virginia. Jennie, Parker and Dalton were there too. The boys played while Kay held the baby and we all chatted. Jennie's boys are very curious about babies and Dalton climbed up on the couch next to Kay to sneak a peek at Bennett. It was precious. Then, Kay was in charge of snacks and all the boys swarmed around her like pigeons in a park. It made a cute picture with her and all her grandsons (well, besides the one still making his way here!).

Next we went to visit Heidi. I cannot believe how good her baby is. Not that I am complaining, but after she fed him, Seth laid on the couch and contentedly looked around for 45 minutes without making a peep! Then, Heidi just wrapped him up and put him on the couch and he was out like a light. Bennett wasn't quite so easy! Noah, Adam and Wilson had fun pretending the pillows were mud and pulling each other out to safety. Now Wilson's new favorite phrase is, "I'm stuck in the mud." Gotta love those cousins. We probably overstayed our welcome at Heidi's house but it sure made Ben being gone a whole lot more fun!