This week started out with a lot of brotherly love--well, both of them hanging out in the crib together. I was a little afraid that Kyler would want his bed back, but he said he just wanted to spend time with Devin. They were so cute, but I was not able to get any pictures (I still do not fully trust Kyler alone with Devin in a such small space). Devin continues to teethe and finally had his second bottom tooth come in! I can already see that that top gum line is really inflamed, so those will not be far behind. My boys just seem to teethe from four months until they have all of their teeth in. One of my favorite highlights from this week would have to be when I walked into the room and said "Hi!" to Devin, he turned to me and smiled. He really must like me as his Mommy!
We continue to take Devin into church with us since it is still cold season and he has not yet had all his shots. This past Sunday he took a nap on my chest, which is one of the most peaceful ways to listen to a sermon, but maybe not the best for retention. Later on in the week, Devin felt pretty warm and started to get a slight temperature with it topping out at 102.2, leading to some medication and lots of snuggling with Mommy. I hate to see him sick (or any kid for that matter), but it is so hard to be everything to both a sick little one and a 2-year-old. I loved the cuddles, but not the jealous behavior that came from the other child. Thankfully, Daddy tried to make up for it when he got home from work.
This has been a very exciting week for the whole family. We officially moved Devin into the crib and Kyler into his "big boy bed." It was a transition that I think we as parents were more anxious about than the kids. Kyler has really only had one nap time that did not go perfectly, and Devin has loved his new bed. I am sure that the crib is a lot more comfortable than the pack and play--naps in the first couple of days have been averaging two hours! Not only have sleeping arrangements changed, but now our little boy has one tooth completely through on the bottom and a second one ready to come through. It is so strange to see a toothy grin when he smiles at us. He continues to love grabbing things and has become very good at passing objects between his hands. His newest trick seems to be sticking out his tongue, which he seems to do pretty much all the time. He is just growing up so fast!
Ryan had spring break for part of this week, so we took full advantage of going to the see the butterflies at Meijer Gardens again as a family. Devin has really started to look around and enjoy them in the wrap, often moving around more than Mommy would allow without my hands steadying him. With all these new things, one thing we are very thankful for is that his blocked tear duct has really started to clear up and will hopefully not require surgery. Doctors have told us that they usually clear up by nine months, but with the past couple weeks of colds, it has looked really bad. Now my boy wakes up with eyes that can easily open and no crusty lashes. [Editorial note from Ryan: the clogged tear duct came back with a vengeance and eventually did require surgery.]
Those teeth just keep on coming...
...so Devin tries to make his own chew toys
A trip with the boys -- Devin looking pretty large for the wrap
We turned him around in the wrap to look at all the fun
Both boys started to come down with colds this week, so most of my week was spent cuddling or snuggling during nap times. Devin still seems to hate taking naps for me, but he will snooze for hours on me rather than in the crib. I am starting to worry that we are developing bad habits, but it's so nice to snuggle with my little boy and then have him be happy for the evening because he slept. Regardless, when he has a cold is really not the time to try pushing him to sleep on his own for nap time (or maybe Mommy is just delaying it). Devin has also been a bit stubborn about rolling over. He loves to roll onto his side for playing and sleeping, but he continues to resist going the full 180. With his cold, he has loved to be held upright, which means I have to use the wrap more often than I normally would to have my arms free for any period of time. Kyler, however, seems to love it when Devin is all snuggled into the wrap because that means that Mommy has hands free to play with him.
Devin has also made a few fun discoveries this week. He has started to reach out to touch the dog and gets a really big smile on his face when his hands get licked. While in the tub, he has started to push off the bottom of the tub, moving himself backward and giving us a surprised and excited look. He loves the shark puppet, and it was fun to see two toothy grins while they were playing together. We have also had our fair share of blow-outs and spit-ups this week (possibly cold induced) for which Daddy was the accidental target. By the end of the week, Devin was feeling better and even enjoying a little time in the swing.
Thankfully, Devin has continued to take a bottle well, which has given me a little more freedom to go places. We have continued to have many great snuggles, but his neck below the chin is easily his most ticklish spot. Devin giggles, but the person who can get him to giggle the most is definitely his brother. With the time change and a wedding, Devin got to hang out at Uncle Matt and Aunt Lori's house late one night. He loved all the cuddling and love he was given there, and he slept in late the next day. Later in the week, teething became a greater issue, so Devin ended up with a "wrap nap" while I played with his brother. At the end of the week, we went and visited the butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens with our friend Chelsea! Devin loved to look around and seemed to want to lean out of the wrap to see more. What a curious little boy he is becoming!
This month was such an experience of highs and lows. Kyler has become a very talkative little kid (even more so than before), and he has also been showing independence, leading to a lot of time outs and some pushed boundaries. He has genuinely shown love and concern for others, along with saying and doing some funny things (see the last bullet point). Here are a few highlights from the month:
He finally did really well getting a haircut. It was amazing! We could not believe it was the same kid, and I think the hairdressers thought we were over-exaggerating the previous experiences.
He keeps getting "tooted" and "pooped" mixed up...which was not fun when he "tooted" in the tub...
He loves to say "Mommy," but usually because he wants something.
He had fun with Calvin nursing students as they practiced taking vitals from him. He loved to show off and have them "listen heart." The professor said he was doing things a 4-year-old should be able to do. Go, Ky!
He is always concerned about Devin when he is crying: "Help, Mommy. Devin sad. Get him." Once I also found him with one hand behind Devin's head and one hand under his legs, trying to pick him up. He has also sometimes offers lovey to him when he cries.
He likes to pretend with lovey: "Drink water, lovey," or, "Eat lunch, lovey."
During the winter Olympics, Kyler and I went "ice skating" in the living room. He got to be part of a lot of "lifts" while we danced to the music, and he sure loved it!
When fussy or crabby, he has been known to hit me, Ryan, or Duncan. Time outs have become much more frequent.
He thought it would be fun to "forget lovey" at church. When the doors were locked, we had to wait for someone to open it and look from lovey...only to have Kyler run to hide lovey again before going out the door. Thankfully, I caught on the second time.
He rode the carousel at the mall and Sandy (the horse) at Meijer. In both instances, he wanted to "go faster."
He made his first impression of a character on television: Bob Goblin from a show called Wallykazam! It was hilarious!
He either eats like an adult (more than Ryan or me) or like a bird (nothing).
Very "Mommy-oriented," he sometimes does not want me to put him down when I get him up in the morning.
Once when I got him up, he pointed at me and said, "Devin's balls." As it turns out, he was pointing at my chest. I guess this is because I often feed Devin in front of Kyler, and Kyler is a little obsessed with round objects. :)
Snuggled up on the "big bed" with Mommy to watch a "show"
What a cute little eater with a new haircut!
He loves to "read" with these books. He spells out the words on the computer, and it talks... (supposed to be for 3+)
Just a cute little man
Gotta love mac and cheese face...the trick is to clean him up before he touches ANYTHING!
Alphie--another favorite toy that does letters and other educational things
We have a lot of cars...this kid LOVES them!
Riding into the sunset...
...well, it will be sunset when he gets the lights
Reading to Devin during tummy time
ABCs...his actual favorite book!
Giving me a great little look here
Showing Devin proper tummy time technique...he wants to do it all the time!
