Saturday, December 24, 2011

Backlog: Doctor's visit

I think this is the last of the backlog posts. This will (mostly) catch everyone up on the goings-on the Durso household.

Johnny and Hank were both due for their doctor's appointments around the same time; Johnny for his 2 year (I know, it's weird that I have to a two-year-old now) and Hank for his 6 month. So the receptionist managed to schedule them for the same day within 20 minutes of each other. Perfect! Only one trip to the doctor! It certainly couldn't have worked out any better.

I must have been high on crack the day I made those appointments.

It started off well enough. Johnny was distracted by my iPhone and Hank was sleeping in the Ergo. Then Hank had to be taken out for measuring and weighing. Then Johnny had to be weighed (on a real big-boy scale!) and have his height measured. Then we waited twenty more minutes for the doctor to come in... and then it was fall out juggling. Put Hank on the table, hold Hank's chest and keep Johnny from leaving the room. Put Hank in the Ergo and pick Johnny up. Put Hank down and hold Johnny on the table. Put leg out to keep Johnny from bolting out of the office. Even then, it wasn't too bad. What I forgot about were the shots. Oh, the shots!! Both boys needed immunizations, thus both had to be stuck in the arm or leg with a needle and then both needed to comforted. Johnny went first and was MAJORLY upset. Then Hank needed a bazillion shots, so I was left with a screaming baby and a crying clingy toddler.

I'll never do that again.

Anyway! Here are the boys' stats for your perusal:
Johnny:
Height: 36 inches - 87th percentile
Weight: 31 pounds - 82nd percentile

Hank:
Height: 28 inches - 93rd percentile
Weight: 19 pounds - 77th percentile

You better watch out, Johnny, Hank is bigger than you were at the same age! He's not called Hank the Tank for nothing!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Backlog: Hank is 6 months old!

I'm 6 months (and 6 days) old now!
Mommy's been so busy trying to get me to sleep that I haven't had a chance to blog about my 6 month birthday! Sheesh, Mom, give it a rest for a second, okay?! 

Anyway. I've spent the last month quitting the whole sleeping thing. Life is just too interesting to miss, you know? I've also spent the last month growing some pretty long hair. I get lots of comments on how long and wispy it is. Some have even compared to Einstein's coif, though I don't think it's quite that extreme. Maybe one day... if Daddy doesn't insist on getting me a buzz cut.

I'm SO close to being able to sit on my own. For some reason I'm more motivated to sit by myself in the bath tub than anywhere else. Maybe because if I fall over I'll whack my head on a hard surface? Or because if I fall over in the tub I could inhale water? I don't know, I'm just able to sit unassisted in the tub and that's it. 

I also started eating solid foods this month and I'm getting pretty good at eating. At first I enjoyed blowing bubbles in the food Mommy tried to give me, but now I have discovered how great solid foods can taste and always have my mouth open like a baby bird when it's food time. 

My eyes continue to get bluer by the day and may actually be as light as Johnny's eventually... it's certainly something to strive for. You know, other than being big enough to rough house with him at some point.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Backlog: Johnny's birthday gifts

Johnny got TONS of gifts for his birthday. Our friends and family were quite generous, that's for sure. During the party, we tried to entice Johnny to open a few gifts thinking he would love to rip some wrapping paper to shreds, but no dice. So I decided to just leave them wrapped for awhile for whenever he showed interest.

Five days later the presents were still wrapped. This child of mine? Not into stuff, apparently.

John and I ended up opening all of them ourselves. So anticlimactic. But here's a picture of Johnny with one of the many gifts he got:
Yes, that's a Mater pillow. With a tow cable and everything.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Backlog: Johnny's "Cars" birthday party

I know, I know, I haven't been here. Sorry about that. I've been attempting to sleep train Hank for naps and nighttime using the Baby Whisperer method for the last eight days which means I spend a majority of each day and night bent over Hank's crib patting and shushing him to get him to learn to fall asleep independently. It's hell.

Anyway. So Johnny turned two last week and we held his birthday party the week before that. Friends and family were invited to celebrate with us and we all had a delightful time... even if I burned my first garlic bread in the oven and Johnny refused to open presents. The cake was pretty kick-ace if I may say so myself. :)

Yes, I did design and make the cake myself.


My friend Carly and little girl Lina.



Looking like the Joker after having birthday cake
Overall, fun was had by all... even Johnny who spent most of the party outside by the pool where there weren't any guests. Thanks for coming, all!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Dear Johnny

Dear Johnny,

On Tuesday you turned two. Two whole years old. Why does that sound so old to me? You've only been here on this planet for two years and yet, I feel like it's been so much longer. I have fit more smiles, laughs, tears, hugs and kisses into the last two years than I did in the previous ten all because of you, Johnny.

You make me laugh so hard with your constantly developing vocabulary and grammar skills. You're stringing funny words into sentences that makes me think, "Where did you learn that?" Just yesterday I asked if you wanted to take a bath or a shower and you responded, "No bath. And no shower either." Just like that. Perhaps when you are old enough to read this post, that little response will seem so trivial, but I can tell you that it's huge, considering this time last year you weren't uttering a single intelligible syllable.

You make me want to hug and kiss you (almost) all the time. The way you come out of your room after your nap with sheet marks on one cheek, a dazed smile on your face and Blankee in hand makes me want to swoop you up and kiss you until you giggle uncontrollably. How you say, "Mommy come play you!" when you want me to come upstairs and hang out with you makes my heart melt. And the way you hold my hand when we're in a parking lot or crossing the street makes me feel all gooey inside.

You make me want to cry sometimes, too. Those times when you choose Daddy or Grandma or Grandpa over me makes my heart break a little, but I've been trying really hard not to let you see it; I certainly don't want to guilt you into choosing me. The rare times when you're trying so hard to get me to understand something and your frustration at me bubbles over into tears makes me feel like an awful mommy. Those times when it's obvious how fast you are growing up and will one day leave me behind to start your own family. Such a sad thought, and yet so happy as well.

Even though I think a lot about your future, it's the present that really matters to me. There are so many things you do that I want to remember, but it's like trying to hold water in your hands as it runs out of a faucet. You do so many new things every day that I forget what you did this morning to make room in my brain for everything you've done this afternoon.

In ten years I want to remember that you have a penchant for whole grain bagels smeared with cream cheese and how you need to have a napkin nearby when you eat them because you hate having wet stuff on your hands.

In ten years I want to remember how you walked like Frankenstein for a few days when I finally got you to wear a pair of shoes with a hard sole on them.

In ten years I want to remember how you enjoyed holding Hank for a couple of seconds and then would push him away from you saying, "Nuff!" after you were over it.

In ten years I want to remember your curiosity when it comes to letters and numbers and how you love this particular part of the "Elmo" DVD where there's a countdown from 10 to 1.

There are all of these little things that make up our days together that are so everyday and normal now, but will eventually become precious if I can manage to hold onto those memories. All I can hope for in the next year is that our days together will be just as full as the last 365 have been.

Johnny, you have made my life so much fuller by being a part of it and I wouldn't trade a single minute from the last two years for anything in the world.

Thank you for being my son, Johnny. Happy 2nd birthday.

Love,
Mommy

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Thanksgiving... two weeks later.

Remember that time Hank stopped taking naps and sleeping at night? And then Johnny decided that 8:30pm is an appropriate bedtime and 5:00am is the perfect time to wake up? No? I guess I didn't tell you that because I have no free time in which to blog about it. Sorry for being MIA.

Anyway. I really don't have the motivation to do a full post, so I will merely post pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend.

Hank hanging with Uncle Scott at my Mom's for Thanksgiving Day
Hank with my cousin Carole

My mom with all of the boys!




Hank with my mom's friend Sue.
My mom and me... can you tell we're related?




Then Friday we spent at John's parents' cabin with John's family.
John and Hank with their cousin Jack.
Playing with Aunt Margie


Gail's always taking pictures and is never in the pictures herself... so here she is doing her thing