Devin -- Week 2 (10/23/13-10/29/13)

Devin has been such a special and sweet baby. I cannot believe that he has already been getting up only one or two times at night. The best part of his late night wake ups is the cute little giggle that he sometimes has when he is just falling asleep. I love it so much that I ALMOST look forward to his night wakings. Kyler has really enjoyed being by his brother, and it has often resulted in Mommy trying to hold both boys in her lap at once. Thankfully, Kyler listens well when I remind him to be gentle and careful around his brother. We all went on our first family outing to the store, and little Devin shopped like a champ, sleeping through the whole thing. We had fun visiting the pumpkin patch to see all the animals and pick out pumpkins. We also visited Grandma at her work and took some walks outside when the weather was nice. Devin has still been having long periods of sleep during the day, but he has been so wide-eyed when he is awake, wanting to see everything that is going on around him.

He loves to nap in the swing

In the "magic" pink bouncy seat

Loving Daddy snuggles

Baby snuggles are the best...wish they would last forever!

Back in the swing

Looking around while getting a diaper change

"Hi, Bright Eyes!"

Someone looks like he is thinking 

Devin's arrival -- October 16, 2013

Our second son had a due date of October 26, but decided he needed to come a little bit early. At my OB appointment during the morning of October 15, he was really quiet during the non-stress test, so the doctor decided to do an ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed that he was not as responsive as they would like, so they thought it would be best for him to join us early, just to be safe. Ryan was extremely surprised when I called and asked him if he was ready to go to the hospital for us to have the baby, but I was ready to meet out little boy. Everything at the hospital went smoothly, and Devin Matthew Bebej joined us at 2:30 in the morning on October 16. He was 9 lbs and 2 oz, 21 1/2 inches long, and loved immediately. We were not sure of what name we were going to use (we were still debating between two), but Ryan finally felt that Devin was a better fit (even though he initially favored the other name). We spent a few days in the hospital, where he was loved and visited by so many family and friends. Big brother Kyler was not sure about the hospital, but did not seem too upset with Devin arrived home. It was an overwhelming feeling of love and joy as I got to see my sons interact together for the first time!

Devin's arrival

Snuggled up in his little hat

Sleeping peacefully in the bassinet

Such a sweet boy

Tired, but very happy family!

Already has hair just like Kyler did

Long kiddo!

Meeting cousin KayLynn and Aunt Lori

Aunt Lynsey meeting her new nephew

Great Grandma came to visit

Proud Daddy...

...and curious big brother

Getting to know his dinofier

Keeping warm in his blanket

Safely at home in the swing

Me and my boys!

Kyler -- September 2013

This was a month of many changes, and Kyler became so much more independent and helpful. The biggest news was probably that Kyler moved to his "big boy room," but still in his crib to keep him a little more contained. Right from the beginning, he has loved his new room and been sleeping just as well as upstairs, sometimes taking even longer naps! After the third day in his room though, he did climb out of his crib. We knew that he was probably capable of doing this, but when he did and crashed, I think he scared himself enough to not try it again. He did not seem to miss his old room that much, but has been fascinated with the baby swing's music. I guess he likes classical music!

He began doing so many interactions, such a telling Duncan to "sit" when we are eating. Duncan has not started listening to him yet, but he is very authoritative. He loves to eat his cereal in a bowl with milk and really no longer eats in a high chair but will climb onto a chair and eat with us at the table. He is so helpful with groceries, often taking everything out one by one and giving them to me, which allows me to not have to bend down. I love this! When he is asked to put something away, he will, even if he does not fully know where. When he was asked to put away a dirty shirt, he put it in a "basket" like he was asked--it just happened to be the diaper basket. He will put all the toys away in the tub when asked to and go to his crib or the changing table when asked to go for a nap or diaper change. He loves to grab your hand when he wants you to go somewhere and will often point to the ground where he wants you to sit.

We were able to visit ArtPrize again downtown, and as much as he enjoyed the first couple of pieces of art, Kyler soon became frustrated being confined to the stroller and wanted to move on his own. He has loved watching the school buses go by our windows and often will watch and wait for them in the mornings. Kyler has witnessed pregnant Mommy's need to use the "potty" often, which has helped him learn the word and what it means. He will often race to beat me to the potty and will sit on the lid staring up at me, sometimes with a book he has taken with him. We went to the mall to buy a few things for the baby, and Kyler and Daddy had a fun time on the carousel. Kyler picked out the "doggy" to ride (which happened to be a cat), but he was so excited that we did not have the heart to correct him. Either way, our lives have been filled with "uh-ohs" and "boo-boo" kissing, as well as trying to snort like a pig or sound like an elephant. We have a little shadow who wants to do whatever we are doing!

In a small pillow fort

Yummy yogurt

Duncan waiting for apple bits to fall

Hitting with Daddy

Hitting without Daddy

Ready, aim, throw!

Snuggling up on the big bear

Riding the carousel with Daddy

Cats at ArtPrize

Touching the dragon at ArtPrize

Ringing a bell at ArtPrize

Kyler -- August 2013

August has been a lot of fun with a lot of activities and learning this month. We started out the month enjoying something that most kids do -- sidewalk chalk -- but soon discovered that it turned EVERYTHING a different color and did not wash out of the clothes that Kyler was wearing. We visited a few parks, and Kyler loves slides and would go to the highest point with no fear and not wait for any help to go down if not carefully supervised. He definitely does not have his mother's fear of heights currently -- that is for sure! One trait he really does share with Mommy is his propensity for neatness because there are times he does not want to leave the nursery at church because he is too busy picking up toys. I hope that stays with him!

Ryan took his last research trip of the summer before having a nice 1.5 weeks off before the start of the fall semester. But before then, Melissa had her great friend Melissa (yep -- same name) stay with us. We took her to the farmer's market, enjoyed time at the pool (which included a bit of Kyler streaking), and picking fresh blueberries in the great outdoors. Kyler loved the blueberries and especially the long rows for the boy to explore and run around. During Ryan's time off, we had a great time visiting the Hudsonville Fair and meeting all kinds of different animals. We visited Cabela's and Kyler pointed out the "doggies" at the entrance (a large exhibit of wolves -- close enough, right?). We visited friends and had our last pool parties of the summer, knowing that next year we will have just as much (if not more) fun!

Kyler has really gotten better at expressing his wants (though sometimes not the best desires), but we are getting to see more and more what our little guy likes. Kyler can be very stubborn about walks and often does not like to return home when directed. He loves to climb into his high chair on his own, but prefers even more to sit at the table and eat like a big boy. His volcabulary has been growing so fast that it is hard to remember words that he has learned or which ones he just picks up. He will follow instructions so well, but really only when he wants to (not much different from everyone, right?), and we hope that this continues when the baby comes so we can have him help us get things and throw things away.

Unfortunately, we have very few photos and videos from this month. In fact, the video below is actually from the beginning of September 2013.

With the whole Wiersum family

With cousins KayLynn and Josie

With Great Grandpa Tony and Great Grandma Linda

 

Kyler's new room -- August 2013

With the new baby 5-6 weeks away, we wanted to get Kyler used to his new room before we throw a real curve ball into his life. We spent a long time looking at bedding that reflected his enormous love of cars and found a really cute set, but I was disappointed when I noticed that there was not a stitch of blue in it. I wanted to do stripes on his wall and after debating between colors that seemed to match rival football teams, we went with the red, white, and grey stripes (yes, we know they are OSU colors, but our other option was MSU green -- clearly, a lose-lose situation). We do have a twin bed for Kyler, but with him not even being two years old, we thought that one change at a time would be best. So Kyler is currently in the crib until possibly after the holidays. Ryan, Grandpa, and Grandma are the amazing painters that made the stripes look so great!

The stripes!

My mom helped with the pictures and shortening the drapes

My brother's old dresser with the bookshelf we found at a garage sale

"Go-go" bedding for Kyler

Summer projects done by Ryan -- Summer 2013

So being pregnant, you often get a nesting period where everything needs to be cleaned. That would be every day in my life. Poor Ryan loves the fact that our house is neat and orderly, but hates the fact that I often stress if things are not taken care of and often reminds me that in the grand scheme of things, it really will not matter if the house is dusted once a week. Unfortunately, as my belly grows (very big), it has decreased my ability to do many things and increased my need for naps. Ryan was able to take off some time this summer (after being at the office full time for most of it) and completed a fairly long "Honey-Do List" for me with a lot of help from my parents. We put up more shelving in what will be Kyler's new room, added shelving in the garage, organized the basement storage area, put in a retaining terrace by our cement slab in the backyard, cleaned out the back brush border in our yard, and took down a large weedy bush. Not only did he do all of this during his "summer vacation," but we enjoyed some good days at the park and lots of shopping for both boys.

Side shelves in Kyler's new room

Second horizontal shelf in Kyler's room

Large amount of ground litter/trash moved and mulch spread out
(Ryan also planted our two trees from our wedding, with one visible on the far left of the picture)

Large bush removed from corner of the lot -- now just mulch

Close up of a much more cleaned up corner of the lot with just a little more to do

Terrace built with railroad ties to help prevent erosion from under our cement slab

Garage organization -- bike racks and shelves

More shelves for storage tubs

Pegboard to organize outdoor tools