Science Kid

I am so tired of this cold weather.  Cold dreary days aren't much fun to play in, especially with a newborn, so we have been stuck inside a lot.  Today we thought we would take a trip to the Kids Science Museum to give Jax something fun to do.  While he is a little young to get all the different exhibits, there was lots to see, hear and touch that kept him very entertained. 

They have a Kid Zone with lots of different activities like the block table which Jax ran to before we could even get his jacket off. 

However his favorite activity was the water table.  

He liked it so much he kept trying to get in.

We decided it was best to just step away from the water table and see what other exhibits there were.  

Again, Jax doesn't quite understand not all the exhibits are for climbing.  This is not a place I am ready to bring both boys on my own, Jax needs WAY too much supervision.

 

The look on his face was totally worth it though.

Speaking of both kids, yes Miles was with us, and stayed asleep almost the entire time, just waking once for a bottle.  At some point I am sure he will want to join in on the fun.

It was fun to take Jax to a place that I just loved as a kid.  This mirror outside was always my favorite part.

 All in all it was a great way to spend a very cold afternoon and I hope we can head back soon.

Three Months Old

Dear Miles,
We just can't believe that you are no longer our little newborn.  So just seem so big to us now, both figuratively and literally!  While you are still great at sleeping at night, gone are the days where you seem to sleep all day long.  Now you seem much more interested in your surroundings.  You will stare at your brother and follow him with your eyes as he runs across the room.  We imagine that it won't be long before you are trying to keep up.  You also absolutely light up with joy when someone talks to you.  Your smile is one of the most precious sights we have ever seen.

You still love your cuddles.  When you do get upset (which isn't that often) it can almost always be eased as soon as someone picks you up for a hug.  Because of this we tend to not want to put you down, ever.  You still sleep swaddled like a little burrito and are about to burst out of the little blanket wrapped about you.
As we are leaving the newborn phase of your life it is hard not to look back on these last three months and realize how much more joy and love you have brought to our family, a task that seemed impossible before your birth.

We love you, Mom and Dad

Three months means three pictures of this cute little man.

Big Boy Bed

I can't believe I am writing this post as I thought I would have at least another year before having to say it ... I have a kid sleeping in a big boy bed.  Yesterday morning Jasper and I were woken up suddenly to the cries of our toddler ... in our room.  Yes Jax climbed/fell out of his crib this morning and then came straight to our room.  While we lock the gate at the top of the stairs, there are still plenty of things he could have done during some unsupervised time and so I am really thankful the fall startled him enough to want to come find us right away.  I have had many friends tell me how their kids climbed out of the cribs and the fall down scared them enough to not try it again for many months to a year later.  So I wasn't prepared to give up on the thought of my toddler being contained in his crib just yet.  So for his afternoon nap we put him back in.  Sure enough within 10 minutes he popped up and jumped out before Jasper could even get in there to stop him.  We knew we couldn't let him try that again and possible hurt himself, so big boy bed it was.

Can I say how totally unprepared for this change I am?  I am a researcher and usually am prepared for the next "stage" of change that comes to my kids armed with knowledge, the right baby products, whatever is needed.  I was not ready for this.  While the front side of our crib comes off to make it a toddler bed, I hadn't even thought about ordering the "toddler bed conversion kit" which is basically a small rail in front to keep your kid from falling off the bed while sleeping. Also while the basic childproofing of Jax's room had been done when we first moved in, there were several things I wasn't sure I wanted him having free reign of overnight, so preparations had to be made.  We bought a removable railing at target (which immediately got torn down by Jax and is now back in the car to be return) and removed any and all questionable items from his room.  After bath time we hung out with Jax in his new bed reading books. 

After I tried to get up, Jax got upset so Jasper gave it a try.  He really wasn't too sure about the new set up.   

Finally we decided to just see what happened and leave him in bed.  The first few attempts quickly ended with Jax coming and opening the door.  Have I mentioned what a rookie mom mistake it was to pick lever handles when replacing all the knobs in our house, they are way too toddler friendly.  So after putting Jax back in bed several times, we finally just sat outside the door and held the knob so he couldn't open it.  After 10 minutes he stopped fussing and trying to open the door and just climbed into bed and went to sleep!  Jasper hung out by the door until we were sure he was asleep.  

I was totally prepared for a long night of Jax getting up several times and us having to repeat this process over and over again.  However Jax surprised me and slept in there all night.  This has kind of been the story with him, I expect every big change to be such a big deal and he has taken it in stride.  So now we have a kid in a big boy bed, I can't believe it. 

Miles Buddy

There was this stuffed doll that was around when I was a kid called My Buddy and the commercial jingle for it is stuck in my head a lot because I tend to little man "Miles Buddy."  I love taking pictures of him and capturing all his different facial expressions. 

 

Of course Jax felt the need to jump in for one of the pictures.

 

Don't you  just wish you knew what they were thinking sometimes?

Creative Play

When I walked into my bathroom this morning, I immediately smiled when I saw this. 

What I didn't take a picture of was the play food I later found in the toilet.  

Needless to say we didn't keep it to play with in the future.

Let's Get Together

Some dear friends from college came to our house today for a very long overdue get together.  Because we all have kids all the photos are of kids. :)  There were several kids missing (Jax even wasn't there as he was visiting his Mikey and Meme) and Miles had all the ladies to himself.  He didn't seem to mind.

 

Every time we get together it seems we talk about how we need to do it more often.  It is hard to believe that living as close as we do (within a few hours of all of them) that life seems to somehow get in the way and keep us from connecting more often.  Maybe that should have been my new years resolution this year.  Never too late to start!

Two of a Kind

I can't believe how much closer in size they already seem from when we first brought Miles home.  I feel like soon you won't even be able to tell there is much of an age gap between them!

I Do It

Mr. Independent loves to tell me how he can do things by himself.  "I do it, I got it" are common phrases around here these days.  While sometimes I just want to do things for him to save the mess, I know this is an important part of growing up, so I am trying to let go of the control a little.

This has made for some messy meals. 

However I do still only let him have yogurt or other messy foods at dinner ... right before bath time.  Practice makes perfect, right?

Mellow Miles

Mellow Miles is the name this baby has earned.  He is just very relaxed and easy going most of the time.  I honestly didn't know that babies could be this way and he continues to surprise me daily.  He still loves to be swaddled for naps and overnight so for much of the day he looks like this.  As for where he will sleep, he is very flexible with this.  He sleeps in the swing, the crib, my arms, the car, you name it.

He is pretty mellow when awake as well.  While Jax hated to be put down on his back, Miles loves it.  

One place he loves to be put down is in his crib.  We have a ceiling fan in there and Miles loves to just watch it go.  This is my go to spot to put Miles while putting Jax down for a nap, changing Jax's diaper, etc.  When I go back in to get him I usually find him like this.

Gotta love a look like that.

Million Dollar Smile

We have been brushing Jax's teeth for awhile, but when Jax suddenly started being able to brush his teeth himself, well it became one of his favorite activities.  He LOVES it. 

Then brushing teeth got even more exciting because we discovered that Jax was big enough to reach the sink by himself on his stool!

I will be honest, the image of him on the stool by himself makes me sentimental.  

How is he big enough for this?

All smiles after brushing those pearly whites!

We have even started brushing teeth in the middle of the day.  Jax runs into the bathroom and says "I brush my teeth."  When he was on his 4th brushing of the day one day Jasper asked if we were going to just let him keep brushing his teeth.  I said that there are many things I have to say no to, brushing teeth isn't going to be one of them.  Go ahead kid, knock yourself out.  

Baby Face

Because nothing is as cute as sweet baby cheeks.

Wearing Many Hats

Jax has been loving the hats that his Uncle Kevin and Megan got him for Christmas.  Besides being able to be a Firefighter, he has played Astronaut ...

a Viking, 

and Construction man!

 

Can't wait to get the rest of them out!