Devin -- Week 29 (4/30/14-5/6/14)

This week we had a lot of ups and downs when it came to naps and feeling well. Devin started out the week being fussy due to teething, but later in the week, he seemed to pick up the cold that I had. When Devin does not feel well, he often does not nap well, but after a few days of this, he often crashes. This means a few days of no naps followed by a few 3-hour-nap days. Kids are just always so unpredictable! We did run a few errands this week to different stores, and Devin seemed to really like going to the pet store to see fish and cats. I love when his eyes get really wide and his mouth is open while he seems to try and take everything in. We had some great visitors at the end of the week, when Ryan had his Calvin lab assistants over for dinner. Devin was loved on and held by some wonderful people, and he even got to be in the group photo. I hope that he continues to love being around lots of people and enjoys time with more students in the future.

We started a new food this week: peas! Devin was not too happy with the peas and made such a terrible face when I would feed him that Kyler would say, "Devin no like peas, Mommy." As the week went on and he started to have more cold symptoms, he seemed to lose his appetite even more, gagging on even the runniest cereal and spitting everything out. Kyler was always trying to help by making funny faces and trying to get him to smile in his high chair. Kyler really loves his little brother and often will wake up wanting to see him and kiss the top of his head. I really do have sweet boys in my life, even when they are sick, the fussiness is often just a desire to cuddle, which I love doing anyway.

My curious little guy looking around

Hanging out with my little boy

Duncan loves his littlest brother

Such a serious little one

"Look, Mommy--by myself!"

Kyler -- April 2014

We have really enjoyed the nicer weather that spring has brought us, which means much more time having fun outdoors and more play dates. Kyler has been speaking more and more, often with a lot of wonderful phrases. Here are a few highlights from the month.

• We took part in the Calvin nursing lab again this week. Kyler said, "No listen to heart," in the car, but then he was super helpful with the students. When we drove home he "pretended" to sleep in the car.
• He loves to wash all his small cars (Hot Wheels/Matchbox) in the sink to give them a bath.
• We had a flashlight party in the bathroom, and he enjoyed exploring in the tub.
• Some of his favorite phrases this month: "making music" when he makes noise anywhere, "swish" and "off the rim" when playing basketball, "that's cool" or "one more store" when we go shopping, "rescue them" when we saved worms on the driveway after a rain storm, and "making art" anytime he draws.
• Kyler has kept telling me that, "Mommy need haircut. Hair too long."
• Our cable went out while he was watching his favorite television show, so he checked every television with me and said, "I fix," while getting out his play tools. He "hammered" the side of our old television to fix it.
• With the nice weather, we took everyone out to the park, and Kyler loved the freedom to walk on the trails instead of riding in the stroller. He even looked at bugs and everything else with his magnifying glass.
• We had a great play date with our friends the triplets, even though sharing is still hard. Everyone loved to jump on the bed. 
• We had a great time out at the zoo, where we fed the ducks and geese. Kyler did not seem to understand that chasing the geese can be a big problem. Thankfully, they went into the water rather than after him!
• We had a great Easter. Kyler colored eggs for the first time, consumed massive quantities of jelly beans, and LOVED doing an Easter egg hunt.
• Kyler has been enjoying making a lot of messes, including dumping out a full box of baby rice cereal and a whole bag of pretzels. "I try them, Mommy."
• We had a great time at the Calvin 5k, where Kyler did his first kids race and LOVED IT! He wanted to do it again and again.
• He has a really great memory and can almost read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to us from memory.
• He had a great time with Grammy and Papa visiting and babysitting while Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding. 
• We visited our friends Levi and Brady for a play date, and Kyler was very excited about their dog Bentley.
• He wants to watch "Holy, holy song" all the time on Praise Baby.

Look at that happy boy running in the middle!

He loved the run, but he really needs to learn to stay in his lane

A family of runners?

"Here, Mommy!" ...Not sure what it is!

Reading his devotions on his own.

Meeting the panda at the Hudsonville Expo

Coloring eggs

"This one is blue!"

He loved them, but would not eat them!

Doing a little "shopping" at home

Looking cute!

Spending time with his brother

Playing with his Loops 'n' Swoops

Playing with flashcards under Devin's jumperoo

Feeding geese with Mommy at the zoo

He tried to throw the bread really far!

Lots of fishies!

Hanging with the penguins

Posing for a picture at the zoo

Kyler and Devin with Grammy and Papa

Cleaning cars...

At the kitchen sink...

...washing more cars!

Mommy and her little guys!

Devin -- Week 28 (4/23/14-4/29/14)

It has been such a busy and fun-filled week. Devin has become really good at rolling onto his tummy, but has struggled with the return trip. He seems to think that it is best to practice such skills during the middle of the night, resulting in less sleep for all of us since he screams and cries to be rolled back over. Thankfully, he does not mind being on his tummy and actually seems to enjoy sleeping in such a position. Another big milestone this week was that Devin started to eat his cereal this week. He did not seem to be all that excited about it (we started with oatmeal), but after a few more bites, he was all smiles and kept opening his little mouth. After a few days, we introduced rice cereal as well with about the same reaction.

We also had some fun events this week, including a visit from Papa and Grammy. They came early on a Friday so that we could all go and visit the butterflies. Devin was pretty crabby at the end of the trip, but when Ryan and I went to a wedding later that night, he was really good for his babysitting grandparents. In the morning, we all went to the Calvin 5k race, where he just hung out in the stroller and enjoyed watching all the fun going on. We also had a play date, but he really just wanted to cuddle for most of the time.

Still loves his jumpepoo

Had a great visit with Grammy and Papa

Chilling out during tummy time

My little boy--how silly are you!

Someone clearly loves his cereal

I love my boys!

Devin -- Week 27 (4/16/14-4/22/14)

Our little boy is already six months old! I cannot believe how fast time has flown, and yet some of the days feel oh so long. Devin has been taking his time with many things that Kyler did so quickly. He is rolling over to his tummy, especially at night when he is sleeping, but he seems to have no desire to roll back over. I guess he knows that if he wants to flip back over, all he has to do is scream and yell until we help out. I have tried to teach him a little, but he just seems to lay there and wait for me to do it. Does this mean that my little boy is going to have a stubborn streak? I cannot help but think about the bottle boot camp time too...so I guess we have a bit of a strong will when we want something. Thankfully, he continues to sleep pretty well even when he is on his tummy and only rarely wants to be flipped over.

There have been so many small little moments with Devin that just warm my heart. I love the sleepy, milk-induced smiles I get first thing after a feeding and how whenever I enter a room he turns his head to the sound of me. When we go shopping and he is all snuggled up in the wrap, I love the little jumps he does in it, but also the sweet way he lays his head on my chest and naps there. He loves to be outside, and you can watch him move his little feet and hands with excitement as the leaves and branches in the trees move. Even though we went to the butterflies and zoo together, he often just chills out in the stroller looking around contentedly. My favorite thing currently is our snuggle times while he is fussy. He just lays in my arms, sometimes eating, but always snuggling with me and looking up at me. I love to just stroke his little cheek and smile at that sweet face. I will so miss when he is too big to want to snuggle with me, but I know that there will be new ways to make memories.

When I come in to see my little boy...

...he just lights up with a smile...

...that totally melts my heart!

My sweet boy enjoying the new ball from his Easter basket

Look at that sweet face!

"I love my new elephant toy!"

Devin -- Week 26 (4/9/14-4/15/14)

We are really starting to settle into a more manageable routine around here, but I wish that Devin and Kyler would start to have their nap times overlap. Devin has been rolling onto his tummy really well, but that often means he gets "stuck" and cannot get back over in his crib at night, necessitating help from Mommy or Daddy. I forgot how hard it is to get up all the time at night, and I really have been missing my long sleeps. Devin has also been sitting up with very little stabilizing assistance. He continues to love watching his brother more than anyone else, and Ky loves to try and make him smile. When we are in stores, Kyler often tries to make his brother smile and laugh. At the end of this week, Devin did spit up a lot and just would not sleep longer than 45 minutes during the day. It was hard to see him so fussy, but we just snuggled and tried to enjoy our time together when we had it. Devin does love taking walks in the stroller and will often doze off when we go anywhere, but that usually translates into terrible naps later in the day.

This kid loves to grab and chew...

...even on the wrong sides of teethers!

No matter how tired we are...

...we still love the jumperoo!

My sweet boys holding hands on the blanket

Not sure what to think of the Bumbo tray

Devin -- Week 25 (4/2/14-4/8/14)

We started out the week still feeling under the weather but chatting a lot. I love that when I was gone for part of the morning and came home, Devin instantly started to babble at me. We did our second round of Calvin pediatric labs this week. The first one did not go so well until after I fed him again, and the second time he just loved to grab stethoscopes or anything else he could get his hands on. Devin's naps are still varied, but lately they have become much longer, often 1.5 to 2 hours at a time. I hope this trend continues, but it might also be partly him feeling better, so I will just have to wait and see. Devin often likes to roll onto his side to sleep, and if I put him down on his back, he will almost always roll to his side before I am even out of the room. Devin continues to love looking around at everything and really enjoys giggling while watching his brother play.

Stretching out

Chilling out in his swing

I can sit up?!

Okay...now what is that?

Check out my cute leggies

Hanging out with Daddy during his t-shirt challenge

Matching jammies!