Luke Update

Mr. Luke finished his last dose of amoxicillin today!  He seems to be all better.  Within two days of starting the antibiotic his eyes cleared up perfectly.  His breathing sounds so much better, like there's zero congestion, and we never had an issue with his ears hurting him.  If they did,  he didn't show it.  We only had to give him two doses of Tylenol in the last ten days due to his crankiness.  I'm so glad our little guy is feeling better and looking and sounding better too!  We sure love this happy baby of ours!

Gamers

These two love playing the monster truck game on Chad's phone.  Tyke always studies what his Daddy does and then tries his hardest to repeat.  He does pretty dang good for a two year old!  It's amazing to watch him play and learn.  Best buds right here! =) (Pics taken 2-13-15)

Poor Baby

Poor Luke!  His little cold has gotten out of hand but he's still the happiest baby ever!  

On Friday, when he woke up Chad had to clean his eyes because they were practically sealed shut.  Throughout the day we cleaned a lot of gunk out of his eyes and we just knew we would be taking Luke to the doctor.  His eyes were pretty red/pink and we were worried he might have pink eye.  We decided not to over react and to see how he felt and looked the following morning.  

Saturday morning he woke up with clear eyes and we were so excited!  Throughout the day though they started oozing the yucky yellow stuff again.  Sunday was the same deal.  Monday morning his eyes were pretty crusty so I decided it was time to throw in the towel and go visit the doctor about this.  

I was able to get him in with Dr. Fullmer that afternoon around 4 p.m.  Luke does NOT have pink eye, yay!  Poor guy is just so congested that the mucus was oozing out of his eyes.  When Dr. Fullmer checked his ears he found a lot of wax.  After cleaning that out he found an ear infection in both ears.  His right side is a little worse than the left.  Dr. Fullmer was surprised at how happy Luke was considering how miserable he must feel.  Dr. Fullmer was also surprised to learn that this is the first ear infection we have had to deal with, ever!  Go us!  

Dr. Fullmer gave us a prescription for amoxicillin that Luke has to take twice a day for ten days.  If he's not feeling and looking a whole lot better by Thursday then we will have to take him back in.  Dr. Fullmer also let me know that Luke's ears are probably going to really hurt him when they "pop" and that we should be prepared for a very unhappy baby.  

We sure hope that our baby Lu-Lu gets feeling better fast and that we will know what to do to help comfort him when his ears start to hurt.  Poor little guy!  

25 Months Old

I can't believe it's been a month since the Roni-man turned two!  He's so wild and so much fun and changing every day.

I swear in the last two weeks this kids vocabulary has grown so much and Chad and I are in awe of it.  It seems like he started speaking in sentences over night!  Some of the stuff he says is pretty darn cute and we love hearing him repeat himself.  He thinks he's pretty cool because we're always smiling at his doings and asking him to repeat it for the cameras (of course he doesn't though).  Here's a list of Tyke's most popular phrases and sentences right now:

Choo Choo ah aboard!
Ma, Lu pee water ew! (Luke peed in the tub one night while Tyke was helping me bathe him, his reaction was hilarious!)
Mom! Moo-eee! Buh-bon! (Every time we get in the car it's the same words from his mouth: "Mom! Movie! Button!" meaning pull down the TV screen and hit the play button I want my show!)
Ar-pain buh-bon (When he wants to watch his Planes movie)
I dot ar-pain! (I got airplanes!)
me-mo me-mo me-mo (Nemo, Nemo, Nemo)
I dorry Mamma (I sorry!)
I dorry Bay-Lu (Luke gets apologies all day long from big brother)
Bye Bye Momma! (and Dadda and Lu-Lu and Bampa and Tiffy and the list goes on!  He's getting really good at names lately!)

Also, he has started calling us mamma and dadda instead of mom and dad.  Random!

Tyke has always been quite the big helper but even more so lately.  He does really good to pick up the living room floor so I can vaccum.  His latest obsession is to grab my step stool and climb up to the kitchen sink to scrub dishes.  He literally cries if we tell him no!  He loves playing in the water and moving dishes back and forth between the sides of the sink.  Tyke likes to push the bar stools around and sometimes uses them to get to what he wants on the counters.  I'm not too fond of this trick but luckily he doesn't do it too often and luckily he's a very cautious, careful toddler.

Tyke is completely obsessed with his airplanes and takes them with him everywhere he goes!  He bawls if he can't find them all and it is a disaster if we try to leave the house without them.  He packs his backpack every morning with his four planes and his stuff Nemo.  Sometimes he sneaks in treats and a sippy and the iPad too.  The kids knows how to pack!  And he knows how to take care of himself!

Tyke has discovered that he fits perfectly behind the couch and he loves crawling back there.  He's gotten stuck a couple of times but manages to get out.  He thinks it's funny to tease us by crawling back there and hiding.  Little stinker!

Tyke is still a super picky eater but every once in a while he surprises us by trying something new.  He's very cautious about what he puts in his mouth.  Even the slightest taste of something he doesn't want will set him off into a tantrum and make him throw up on us.  He's a brat!  Last night he about made Chad and I fall off our chairs when he finally ate dinner with us!  We didn't have to make our meal and then a meal for him, he ate with us!  A baked potato with shredded cheese on it (he picked off the cheese, what kid does that?!) and barbecued chicken legs.  That's what really surprised us was the chicken.  Tyke is almost a vegetarian, only eating bacon, pepperoni and the hot dogs in corn dogs.  When he grabbed and ate the chicken Chad and I looked at each other completely confused.  We tried not to make too big of a deal about it because we didn't want to spook Tyke, haha.  It's like sneaking up on a deer, careful how you handle it or he'll run.  When Tyke grabbed and ate a second chicken leg we really gave each other a look.  What a kid!  We'll see if this lasts.

Tyke is still not potty trained.  He's tried wearing underwear a time or two just to see what they feel like but both times resulted in him peeing on the floor.  I think we'll really hit potty training hard when he's 2 1/2.  We'll definitely go with the flow though.  If he wants to train sooner then we'll give it a go!  Tyke is in size 5 diapers, 2t pants, 2t-3t jammies, 2t-3t shirts and size 8 shoes.  He's growing big and tall and strong!

We love you Roni-man!  Happy 25 months kiddo!

Best Buddies

 I love these boys and the great buddies that they are to each other!  Tyke was excited to see they had the same jammies on.  He was a little confused at first but then thought it was pretty cool!  It will be so fun when Luke gets a little older and can interact more with Tyke.  They are going to be the best of friends and a double trouble team!  We're in for it, and I can't wait!

Valentine's 2015

Our cute little valentines!!!  We love these boys so much, more than they'll ever know!  They are the sweetest, funnest little things and we feel extremely blessed that they are ours!  

We had a very low key Valentine's day.  We went out to dinner last night to try and beat the crowds but apparently everyone had the same idea.  We still had a good time and good food.  Today was spent at home.  The boys got a few small gifts from us (candy and toys) and they each got $20 from Grandpa Terry and Grandma Cheryl!  We had a yummy homemade dinner of lasagna, salad and eclairs.  As soon as we finished up we made the rounds to the cousins homes to deliver treats.  All in all it was a great day!

Happy 1st Valentine's day Luke!  And Happy Valentine's Roni!  We love you boys so much!  

New Toy

Today Chad and Tyke went and picked up our new home away from home, a new (to us) camp trailer! (I was stuck at work and Luke went to Grandma's house to play)  We are so excited about our new fifth wheel.  We're going to miss our old trailer but it's going to be so nice to have more room for the boys to play when we go camping.  We really scored on this purchase.  This trailer has been well taken care of and is practically brand new inside.  Tyke loves it and has had so much fun exploring his new digs.  He's a master at the ladder to get onto the top bunk (which I'm proud but worried, the brave little stink!).  We are so ready for warm weather so we can go and play!

Sickos

Our poor babies have been sick!  We are so sick of being sick at this house!  I swear someone has had a cold or something since we brought Luke home from the hospital 4+ months ago.

Poor Tyke can't catch a break when it comes to colds.  If he gets around anyone with a cold, or plays outside for two seconds, it's automatic croup which means automatic doctors visit.  We have finally got him figured out and have been lucky enough to not have any emergency room visits since July.  Poor kiddo coughs until he throws up which is sad but a good thing according to the doctors because it gets his adrenaline going which in turn opens up his airways by reducing the swelling.  

Luke has caught the dreaded cold as well.  Luckily, knock on wood, he has shown no signs of croup.  Just a yucky cold that has caused him to have a stuffy, runny nose.  Even though he doesn't feel too great he's still a smiley, happy little guy.  

We're so ready to feel good here again.  These colds have lingered here for too long!  

Weiny Roast!

Today after a quick shopping trip to Costco, we loaded up the rhino and the car and headed out west to "Hobo's Village" to ride and roast hot dogs.  We met up with Uncle Chris, Aunt Danielle, Uncle Corey and Aunt Stephanie and kids.  We had a great time visiting and riding and eating hot dogs and chips.  The weather was so nice it made us all really homesick for some camping.  We don't quite dare go camping yet because we know that as soon as we un-winterize the trailers the snow will hit.  It's been such a weird, mild winter this year...  Anyway, Tyke had a blast playing in the dirt, riding the rhino and hiking with his cousins.  Luke enjoyed just hanging out in the car with his toys and taking in the great outdoors.  It's the first time he's really been outside like that.  We spent a few hours playing and then as the sun started to set we hurried and cleaned up and headed home.  It was a great way to spend our day and we can't wait for the camping adventures to begin!

And might I ask, when did my little Tyke get so big?  He thinks he's so grown up and loved hiking around with the cousins!  Of course Chad was hiking with him so he was always supervised but he definitely thinks he can handle the terrain without us.  What a big boy!  And what a happy boy!  Tyke is at home in the great outdoors!

4 Months Old

Mr. Luke is 4 months old today!  Another month older and cuter too!  We are having so much with our snuggly, handsome little man.  He's a little sweetheart and we love him so much!

Luke is a spoiled little thing.  He thinks he needs to always be held or at least held in the upright position.  He hates laying down, even if it's in his bouncy chair that is somewhat elevated.  He just wants to sit up like a big boy!  We've considered getting a bumbo chair but Luke is still a little too wobbly for that.  He is definitely improving on his strength with holding his head up.  He does really well and likes to look around and check things out.  He likes to see what's going on around him.  Luke is strong enough now to sit up and stand up when we hold his wrists and slowly pull.  He thinks it's the coolest thing in the world and smiles proudly each time!  When we put him in his car seat he immediately leans forward and lifts his head up.  He just doesn't like being in a layed down position.

Lu-Lu is such a happy guy!  He smiles at you the second you pay him any attention at all.  He usually gives a huge grin while tucking into my shoulder and snuggling right in.  It totally melts this mamma's heart!  Luke smiles a lot and he has started to giggle a little hear and there too!  I've tried to record it but he's too smart for me and quits as soon as he sees the camera.  Luke had his first giggles on 1-8-15, it completely made my day!

Luke LOVES blowing raspberries and will do it for long periods of time.  He will literally soak his shirt with his skills.  He first started this new trick on 1-18-15.  

Luke definitely has better control of his hands now and can pretty much grab whatever he wants, with a little concentration.  He likes to grab onto and play with his toys, especially his crinkly book, our shirts, his blankets (which go right to his mouth) and my hair.  It's adorable to watch him snuggle into his blankets and start eating them.  Pretty much anything he gets a hold of goes right into his mouth and slobbered on.  Speaking of slobber, our little guy drools a lot lately!  He soaks himself all of the time.  We've questioned whether he might be teething already or not but we were told he isn't and it's just his saliva glands kicking in.  I could seriously watch him do his cute little tricks all day long!

Luke has mastered sucking his thumb but he still prefers the green binkies (he won't take any other kind).  Luke likes to suck on his left thumb or his left index finger.  When he sucks on his finger he almost always gags himself and we have to pull his hand out because he just leaves it there, gagging away.  The first few times he did that it scared us to death but now we just laugh at him and he looks at us confused.  He also likes to suck on his wrist now and will do so until they're bright red!

Luke loves bath time still, even more so when he gets to bath with big brother.  It's quite the adventure but both boys seem to enjoy it.  Luke's little feet usually hang over the edge of his chair and he kicks like crazy, splashing Tyke in the face.  Tyke retaliates and splashes back which gets him in trouble with mamma bear! (And so it begins haha)  Luke is so cute when we bathe him.  He looks up at us with his big blue eyes and a huge smile while we soap him up and rinse him off.  I've been bathing Luke and Tyke in a bubble bath of lavender baby soap.  It seems to really help Luke fall asleep quickly for bedtime, Tyke not so much.  I was hoping it would also help Luke sleep through the night but we still struggle with that.  He's usually up one to two times a night for food, mostly around 1 am and 4 am.  Luke is a fairly light sleeper and it's tricky to get him in his bed.  After bath time I feed him and he falls asleep quickly.  It's nice to just sit and hold him and snuggle him.  As soon as he's had enough he starts getting squirmy and if I don't get him layed down fast enough he wakes up.  It's a balancing/juggling act that reminds me of one of the Indiana Jones movies where Indy tries to put a bag of sand in place of the gold statue.  I have to be quick!

Luke is starting to be a silly eater.  We're still nursing and he thinks it's funny to constantly rip off after only thirty or so seconds.  It's exhausting and a little annoying but his smile, after every pull, makes up for it I guess.  His smile is great and he knows how to use it to melt us.  Luke takes a bottle pretty well now since he's at Grandma Cheryl's house forty hours a week and has had to.  He's a very messy eater with it though and it shows at bath time when we try to clean his neck.  He always has "goodies" hiding in the creases of his neck.  Our little guy gets very squirmy while eating, to the point where he has to stop and let a few good loud burps before continuing on.  This kid can burp just like a man sometimes!  

Luke is getting so big!  His newborn cry and looks are long gone by now.  He looks so tall to me and his chubbiness has thinned out a little bit.  He's wearing size 2 diapers and size 3 month to 9 month old clothes.  The 3 month clothes are going to be getting phased out here pretty soon.

I'm not sure what we ever did to deserve such cute, perfect little men but we are forever grateful for our boys and the joy they bring to us!  We love our Bay-Lu and all of the fun that he brings.  He's the sweetest, happiest little guy and we are blessed to be his parents!  Happy 4 months baby Luke!

4 Month Well Check

Luke had his four month well check today!  Four months old already and growing like a champ!  Our little guy got to go second today and did so well with Dr. Fullmer.  He was all smiles while being checked out!  He's such a good, happy baby!

Luke growing big and strong.  He's a tall boy for sure and with that height his roundness is starting to thin out a little.  We filled out a small questionnaire on Luke and he's reached pretty much all of his milestones that he needs to!  Dr. Fullmer was impressed with Luke's strength.  When he tried to sit Luke up, Luke went stiff and stood up instead.  He likes to stand lately and thinks he's so big.  You can tell by the smile on his face that he's proud of his accomplishment, and we are too!

We discussed a few concerns with Dr. Fullmer and were reassured that Luke is perfectly fine.  Our first concern was that his head might be a little too flat.  He has practically no shape to the back of his head.  Dr. Fullmer let us know that his shape is perfect and there is no need to worry about a helmet or anything like that.  We also talked about Luke's permanent stuffy nose.  I swear the poor little guy has had a stuffy nose since he caught his first cold at a week and a half old.  I hate the way his breathing sounds and it makes me feel bad that we can't fix it.  We've dumped so much saline down his poor little nose that it's disgusting.  We were told to keep doing what we've been doing and that maybe his nostrils are just built small and the sound we hear isn't congestion but more of a snoring sound.  No need to worry.  We also discussed Luke's heart murmur that was found at his two month well check.  Dr. Fullmer listened to his heart for a few seconds and gladly told us that he could no longer hear the murmur!  Yay!!!!  Our final concern, and I felt really bad about this one, had to do with Luke's circumcision.  I told the doctor I had found little "pockets" that would ooze white stuff.  Turns out the white stuff was dead skin cells and that it was perfectly normal but could eventually get infected because the skin had healed further down that what is preferred.  We had two options: leave it alone, or push the skin back.  I let Chad make that decision and we went with what the doctor felt would be best, to push the skin back.  He did it right in the room and it nearly made me sick to watch.  Luke squirmed a little but didn't make a sound.  Dr. Fullmer said the pain would be like ripping off a scab and that most babies cry, but not our tough little guy!  As soon as Dr. Fullmer finished with that "procedure" our poor Luke was raw looking.  We're back to "doctoring" things up when we change his diapers.  Poor guy!

Luke's 4 month stats:

Weight: 15 pounds 6 ounces (52%)

Height: 26.1 inches (90%)

Head: 16.3 inches (45%)

After Luke's checkup was over and the torture of his little procedure, it was time for the dreaded shots.  Our poor guy had to have one in each leg and he did NOT like it at all! (He also had an oral dose).  To say it was a not so fun visit for Luke would be an understatement.  It took me quite a while to get him calmed down.  He was starving and hurting and it broke my heart.  I got him out to the car and fed him.  Chad took Tyke home so it was just me and Luke hanging out in the car.  Poor kiddo, it took forever to get him calmed down enough that he could eat.  It was the saddest thing ever.  Shots are no fun!

We're so happy to know that our Lu-Lu is growing healthy and strong!  He's such a good baby and we are blessed that he's ours!  Luke goes back to the doctor in two months and we can't wait to see what he's learned by then and how he's grown!  We love you Luke!

2 Year Well Check

The boys had a visit with Dr. Fullmer today!  Tyke had his 2 year well check and did pretty good.  He has thrown fits for the doctors since he was about nine months old.  Today he only freaked out a little before calming down and taking Dr. Fullmer's otoscope to play with.  Dr. Fullmer is such a great doctor!  He's so patient with our little guys and does an awesome job taking care of them!

We had a big questionnaire to fill out about Tyke, listing what he can and can't do developmentally.  He is right on track and a little more so than most two year olds!  He was shy around Dr. Fullmer at first but then turned into a bit of a show off!  We had Dr. Fullmer check a mole on Tyke's back that we were concerned about and it checked out perfectly.  We also discussed Tyke's bad eating habits with Dr. Fullmer.  We feel like such loser parents only feeding Tyke his main food groups: pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese and corn dogs.  The doctor informed us we are doing just fine and that Tyke is on a typical toddler diet and it's very normal.  He told us to still offer other foods to Tyke so that he has options but that as long as he's eating something that's all that matters.  It was a relief to hear that!

Tyke's 2 year stats:

Weight: 30 pounds (76%)

Height: 37.6 inches (99%)

Head: 19.9 (??%)

Tyke checked out great and was done quickly with his appointment.  While he waited for Luke's turn to be over with he got pretty restless and it stressed me out big time.  As soon as Dr. Fullmer was done checking Luke out and left the room we decided it would be a little less chaotic if Chad and Tyke left as well while I waited with Luke to get his shots.  Tyke doesn't do well in small rooms, he has too much energy!  He got to run the halls and play with the drinking fountains while Luke and I stayed behind for shots.  After we finished up Tyke rode home with Daddy and they stopped for an ice cream cone because he had been so good!

Our little guy isn't so little anymore.  We're glad to see that he's growing perfectly in every way.  We are so proud of Tyke and all that he does!  He's no longer a baby or a toddler but a big boy in our eyes.  He'll always be my baby no matter what but he is definitely looking more and acting more like a little boy and it's bittersweet!  We love you Roni-man!

SFW Dinner

We were able to attend the Juab SFW banquet this year (1-31-15) and boy did we have fun!  We had a good time visiting with friends and family and supporting this good cause.  We had a yummy dinner of pulled pork, green beans, baked potato, green salad and brownies and ice cream.  

Luke didn't stay long before leaving to go with Aunt Jenny.  We decided that with the measles and whooping cough outbreak going around we would play it safe and keep him away from the crowds.  He was maybe with us only thirty or so minutes before leaving.  He had a good rest of the night being spoiled and snuggled by his cousins and Jenny and Cody.  Thanks for taking him guys!

Tyke had a blast running around the place like a little wild man!  He had fun putting our raffle tickets in the buckets (unfortunately we didn't win anything) and he loved the little Nerf gun he won at the kiddie game.  He didn't care too much for the dinner that was served.  He ate a couple of bites of a baked potato from his Aunt Steph because she informed him it was ice cream.  He fell for it too until he got a bite that had a speck of sour cream on it which ruined the "ice cream" lie for him.  Before we were finished with dinner Grampa Terry took Tyke to find desert.  He loved his desert, brownies and ice cream, and would get super upset with Grampa if he tried to take a bite.  Tyke is stingy when it comes to ice cream and doesn't like to share.  Grampa Terry had us put Tyke's name in on the "guess the score" game.  Lucky bugger got it right and won a giant bucket of .22 shells!

We didn't have much luck with any of the raffles we put in on but we won a huge painting of an elk from the auction.  Funny story.  Chad really liked the painting but when it came time to auction it off he was no where to be found, he was busy chasing Tyke.  Well, I love auctions even though I don't attend many and I got in a small bidding war for this painting.  I won it and was so excited!  I started explaining to Stephanie where I was going to have it hung in our house and while I was explaining and waving my arm in the air I inadvertently bid on a bucket of bullets.  The auctioneer finally caught my attention and asked if I was bidding thirty?  I was so embarrassed I agreed to it, not knowing what I was bidding on and he went on his way saying, "OK, we have $130 right here!" and pointed at me.  I panicked because I had just bid $130 on who knows what, after just spending nearly $300 on the art work!  Luckily there was one more bid and I got off the hook.  I sat on my hands after that!

We came home with a few prizes: .22 shells to last us a lifetime, a neat painting and Tyke with his Nerf gun.  We missed having our little Luke with us but we know he had more fun at Aunt Jenny's.  All in all it was a great night and we're already looking forward to next years banquet when all four of us can attend!

Super Bowl XLIX

We look for any excuse to get together and eat good food.  Tiff and David and ourselves showed up at Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Terry's for an impromptu party.  We made taco soup, 7 layer bean dip, Chad's famous sausage dip, little smokies and pumpkin cookies.  For being last minute we sure ate good and had a good time watching the game.  Unfortunately for us we didn't win any money on the game boards we had signed up for.  

Tyke really enjoyed watching the game (he LOVES football!) and picking on the guys.  He was wild and loved rough housing with them.  He refused to eat any of the yummy foods before him so we made him some mac and cheese.  He did good eating it until he spotted Tiffy's plate of cookies.  He was sneaky to grab one and downed it!  

Luke enjoyed being passed around and snuggled by everyone.  He loves attention!  He eventually found his thumb and spent a good deal of time concentrating on how to keep it in his mouth.  Yes, we have a thumb sucker!!  We had a great time.  

Good food, good game and great family time!