Trace: Four Months

Just now, I was selecting photos for this post and I had a strange deja vu moment where I swore I already did a four month post. Then I forgot what day Trace was actually born on. Then I remembered that I was thinking about his three month post...wasn't it just yesterday I was writing that one?



Gosh, I am losing it. Time is flying. This little guy is growing fast. He desperately wants to be big like his brother so he can play and run and jump!



His eyes are always on Michael, following his every move. Michael and I have this game we like to play which involves running laps around the house and yelling, "Hi Trace!!" at Trace when we pass him. It's great fun (really) and Trace loves it. He yells and giggles right along with us and thinks he is big stuff being part of the action.

Mr. Big Stuff also recently started doing this:



...what!?

I know, right? He is not big enough to be almost sitting up by himself!

He also loves playing with his little toys and has started to reach and grab them. He looks so intently at the little toys with faces- it is really cute to see him hanging out with his pals.

He's getting stronger with his tummy time and is in this position for lots of the day. Sometimes his little legs will even scoot him around like he is trying to squirm away from me. Rolling is not happening very regularly yet- he has gotten stuck a few times in a half roll over position but I'm sure we'll get there in due time.

"Mom, are you kidding me?"

All in all, Trace continues to amaze us every day. He is great sleeper, eater and snuggler. He also recently started riding in the car better, for which our ears and blood pressure thank him.

I am so thankful for both of my beautiful babies to hug and hold. I was working on Michael's 2nd year photo book this week and it just amazed me how I can barely remember what days were like before Trace was here- it seems like another life ago. We are so happy you are part of our family, Trace! We love you!

Weekend Fun

It is hard to believe today is Monday and the weekend has come and gone. We celebrated another Cyclone victory Friday night during our game-watch party. Enjoying the game from the comforts of home was much appreciated, especially since it was kind of a wet and dreary weekend outside. Saturday morning was spent at home with the boys while Scott worked and later that afternoon we headed up to Ames for a wedding. The ceremony was nice and Scott had fun catching up with some of his fraternity brothers- they even headed over to their old house for a bit. I waited in the car with Trace because man....I just feel so old these days when I am around college kids.



Yesterday was another rainy day so we were stuck inside yet again. Michael had lots of fun racing his cars on his little matchbox track and Trace started to sit up on his own! They are getting entirely too big and it is so sad to me. I snuck out of the house for a bit while they were napping and did a little shopping at a few local consignment shops. I usually go during the week and yesterday they were packed- probably because everyone else was panicking just like me with this cold weather and trying to get their kids' wardrobes in order. I got a ton of adorable things for the boys and most of it was exactly what I was looking for- little fleece pants and jackets for Trace, onesies for Trace, jeans, and sweatshirts for Michael. I even found a pair of super cute converse shoes for Michael that I was just contemplating buying at Target when I saw them last week. We just need some new undershirts and socks for the boys to round out their basics and then I think we will be set. Managing kids' clothing is one of those things I never expected would be so hard as a parent. It is especially time consuming because I have to go back through all of Michael's old clothes that I kept and figure out what will work for Trace and fill in the holes. Lots of Michael's super cute winter sleepers and things just fit Trace perfectly now and I think he is the middle of a growth spurt so I'm not holding out hope they will fit much longer!



Sorry for the novel.... wowzers. Happy Monday!

Boys

Okay....why is it so difficult to take a photo of my two boys together? It is so stinkin' hard!

My aunt had given me these cute little coordinating outfits and I needed to get a photo of them before Trace outgrew his. I had to bribe Michael with the camera remote to even sit beside his brother; actually sitting still was another story.

Don't be fooled: I'm pretty sure this is not an actual hug, but Michael trying to smash his brother.

This is pretty much the best I got wow, huh? At the least it is a very accurate portrayal of life these days!

Just for the record, Trace's hair is not orange. There was a weird color cast thing going on that I couldn't get rid of with my sub-par photoshop skillz. Also, Michael was the recipient of a new haircut yesterday so no more shaggy hair for him!

Happy Friday, all! :o)

A little light reading...

"Hmm... so that's not my puppy?"



"This puppy business is getting very interesting..."

"My book is good but I just feel like someone is watching me..."



It's mommy!

...all in a day's hard work for Trace!

We are having a pretty good week especially since it seems to be flying by and it's already Thursday. I have been enjoying the Cyclone win all week and soaking in the feeling that all is right with the world until the two teams meet again. The radio dial has been tuned into sports talk every time I'm in the car so I can listen to all the Hawkeye fans call in and cry about the loss. It's a sickness, really.

Speaking of sickness... I was home from school on Monday feeling severely under the weather. I'm not sure if it was a combination of dehydration from the game on Saturday or lack of sleep or what but it was a big wake up call for us to get Trace out of our room and sleeping through the night. Being up every two hours to nurse and hold a baby through the night has been taking its toll on my physical, mental and emotional health. My back is in knots and it is making everything hurt and the pain killers I was taking were adding tummy troubles on top of everything. We are only on night three and things are already loads better on the Trace sleeping front- now it's just me who needs help sleeping all the way through the night! I'm looking forward to a big improvement soon!

Cyclones win!

Yesterday was a great day to be a Cyclone. Technically, every day is a great day to be a Cyclone but especially yesterday was because....we beat the Hawkeyes!!!

Woo!!!

(above images from dmregister.com)

It was an awesome game. People are saying it was the best in the series since '02, which is one of my personal highlights of being a Cyclone fan. We won in a triple overtime, but the game was pretty good up to that point. It was nerve wracking but I'm glad we didn't have to go through another heartbreak like we did last year against Nebraska.

Everyone stormed the field after the game. It was awesome!

We got to our tailgating spot at 6 a.m. and watch the sun come up. It was cold and dark for a while, but we quickly warmed up with food and drinks.

Mimosas!

Who invited the Hawk fans? Oh right...we did. :o) Scott's parents came to the game and brought a long some of their friends from their old hometown. It was nice to have a big group to enjoy the morning with.

Denise stopped by with some friends bright and early awesome. I think she had a great time at the game too!

It was such an awesome day spent with friends and it feels like all is right with the world again. :o)

Just so they don't feel left out, here are a few photos of the boys:

I hope your weekend was just as nice and....go cyclones!

Ordinary Days

Have you been enjoying this great cooler weather? We sure have! Every day we've been going for a walk and exploring new parks in the area. Michael has been having trouble sleeping lately so I'm trying to wear him out!



We've also been reading books. And reading books. And reading books. Michael had a sitter last weekend and when I drove her home she said they read, "like a 100 books!". She was cute.

Michael used to only say, "BooKS!" when he wanted us to read to him. But now he will say, "Mommy read books...in chair". And he'll take his book to the chair and pat it. It is really cute. Every day he surprises me with something he says and the connections he makes.









It's been a busy week around here (why do the shortest weeks always seem the longest?) and next week is even busier. I'm trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel!



Happy Friday!