30 Months

It's strange to have a quiet house on a Sunday morning. It's almost noon and both kids are napping. Usually they both take afternoon naps, but this morning Micah was asking to "back to bed" at 10:30. Yesterday, we spent the day in Stewartville with my parents while Kyle worked and he is worn out from all of the excitement and activity.

I've been waiting a little extra to write Micah's 30 month post, because I knew that he had an important milestone coming up....

1) Potty training - yes, we survived and Micah is doing great! We did a 3-day "Potty-Training Prison" weekend a few weeks ago, and it worked great for us. I unfortunately had to work the Friday that we initiated it, but Kyle was off and he and Micah fumbled through the first day together. By Sunday, Micah was accident free. The hardest part about the weekend was being home bound, as it was beautiful outside. But, Micah was not in the position to use a public toilet, nor did we want to revert back to using a diaper. He's had a few accidents over the past few weeks, but overall has done amazingly well during the day. At night and nap time, he wears a pull-up.

2) Since potty training, he seems so much older! He will be going up to the pre-school room at school after Labor Day.

3) Wearing size 3T-4. Shoe size is around 10.

4) Doing so much better with getting dressed in the mornings and at nights. But, he's not loving having his clothes changed after an accident.

5) I love his little high pitched voice. This is a trait that he inherited from Kyle, as Kyle's voice was really high as a kid. If he's excited or is telling a detailed story, his voice seems to get an octave higher with every sentence.

6) Sweet innocence - he believes that everything loves him. While driving yesterday, he commented that the cows in the field love him. He tells me "I love you so much Mommy" several times per day. My heart melts.

7) Still loves to sing.

8) Learning to share. Since Macey has become more mobile, she's been getting into more of his "stuff". I frequently hear him say, "No Macey, that's mine". We're trying to teach him to be more giving, but it's hard for a 2.5 year old.

9) Tantrums are less, but still present especially if tired.

10) Loves to go in the car, whether it would be only for a few minutes while Kyle puts the boat on the truck or going on long trips up to the cities. He's a great traveler.

11) His love for "Micah music" has been abandoned. In ways, it's sad. But, we also enjoy having the freedom to listen to our radio stations too.

12) Sleeping great! Goes to bed around 8:30 and will generally sleep to 6:30-7:00. He often ends up climbing in bed with us in the morning for a few minutes. I love those morning cuddles!!

13) Loves Youtube videos of construction equipment, busses, trains, "Shawn the Train", and Sesame Street.

14) Everyday after getting home from school, he asks for a Goldfish snack.

15) Over the past month, he's had the same breakfast - 2 packets of Oatmeal and milk.

16) When potty training, I bought chocolate milk, thinking that he would love it. Instead, he asked for white milk. Still does not like juice.

17) Loves to help in the kitchen, whether is would be making his oatmeal in the morning, and measuring out coffee beans for the grinder.

18) Mr Independent - wants to do EVERYTHING himself, from carrying his plate over to the table, opening/shutting doors, climbing up into his car seat, flushing the toilet, etc. At times, this can really challenge our patience, which is where tantrums occur.

19) Still has an amazing memory. Earlier this week, he was talking about spilling chocolate milk on his shirt at school, which happened well over 6 months ago. He remembers that it was on his Tiger shirt.

20) Likes to go for walks, but does not love sitting in the stroller. So much for our double BOB!! We still bring it along and use it as a time-out spot, if necessary.

21) Has a preference for men - has really bonded with Kyle and especially my dad.

22) Constantly looking for a play opportunity with Gavin, our 3 year old neighbor.

23) Loves to shop - yesterday, I brought both kids to Target and the grocery store with me. Both did great, but Micah was especially excited about the trip.

24) Favorite toys continue to be his cars and his kitchen set/grill set.

25) Lately, he's been taking a lot of Macey's toys from her. We've been talking a lot about the concept of sharing around the Raadt household.

26) Recently been very interested in the smoke detectors around the house. I'm thinking that this must be directly related to a recent discussion about fire safety at school.

27) Is scared of thunderstorms. Also, is not fond of the water. I'm hoping that with more exposure to the swimming pool, he will get over his fear of the water.

28) He really is a great eater, and is willing to try just about anything that's put in front of him. Favorite foods continue to be pasta, pizza, raspberries, toast, oatmeal, eggs, cheese, gold fish, crackers, mashed potatoes, applesauce, and my homemade mac and cheese.

29) Sweet tooth - this little man loves ice cream, cookies, cake, muffins, candy, which he likely inherits from me.

30) Is a blessing to have in our lives. We love him so much!! Yes, he can be challenging at times, but he brings so much imagination, laughter, smiles and happiness to our family.

Puppy snuggles with Brutus - these 2 love each other so much!

Cake for Uncle Auggie's Birthday/Micah becoming potty trained

What a goof!

7 AND 8 Month post

A month ago, our sweet Macey turned 7 months old and now today, she is already 8 months old! I was just reading through her 6 month post and a lot has changed over the past 2 months. I'm thankful that I've blogged about both kiddos over the past 2 years, even if I may miss a month here and there...

• Stats - Macey goes to the MD at the end of September. I'm curious to see what how much our little (or big!) girl weighs. It seems like she has packed on a few pounds, especially over the past 2 weekends while staying with Grandma and Grandpa Youdas. She now has pinchable cheeks, a belly that's starting to protrude from her shirts, and rolls on her thighs. She is adorable!

• Currently wearing size 3 diapers. She's still rocking her 6-12 month clothing sizes, but I know that it won't be too long before she's wearing 12-18 month clothing. Her 3-6 month clothes are all packed away, and it was truly hard to put them away. Therefore, I'm hoping that one of my good friends has a little girl some day, so that I can pass them along.

• Goodbye goopy, teary eye. Yes, about a month ago, Macey's left tear duct spontaneously opened. I admittedly was quite skeptical that it was going to open by itself, so thankfully I was proved wrong.

• No more sitting - this girl is on the move!! About a month ago, Macey began crawling. In the world of PT terms, this means belly on the floor pushing herself along. At first it was only a few feet to usually get into Micah's favorite toys, but over the past week she has become stronger and quicker. Today, I invested in a sturdy gait for our stairs, as she has recently taken an extreme interest in the stairs. Macey will rock on all 4's, but has yet to start creeping - aka reciprocal movement on all 4's.

• In addition to crawling, Macey loves to climb. Over the past week, she's started to pull herself up to a tall kneeling and yes, she's even been caught briefly standing. Naturally, her favorite place to do this is on Micah's bathroom stool that he uses for washing his hands, and he is still not too fond of sharing it with his little sister.

• Over the past 2 months, we've experimented with more solids. She's eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. Admittedly, most are from a can or pouch. I made most of Micah's baby food, but this time around it is simply easier to do canned baby food. She loves yogurt, bananas, her cereal/oatmeal, avocados - especially when pureed with banana, sweet potatoes, squash and carrots. We have yet to try meat, as I will make that myself. Most food is smooth pureed, and I will probably start her on some finger foods sometime soon.

• Still gets approximately 5 - 6 ounce bottles/day. Bottles continue to be a combination of breast milk and formula. I've cut back to pumping 3x/day and am proud that I have been able to give her breast milk for 8 months, considering my supply issues.

• Still only has 2 teeth, but I think more are on the way.

• Sleeping schedule has become more routine, but she still does not take too many naps during the day. She generally goes to sleep at 9:00 and wakes up between 5:30-6:00 and will find her way into our bed. We snuggle until about 7:00. She is consistent about taking a good hour morning nap around 9:00, but her afternoon nap is more sporadic and sometimes will only be a half an hour.

• Loves attention and will cry when I leave the room. Daycare drop offs are still going well, and she has really bonded with all of the wonderful staff at her daycare, especially Betty.

• Gets a bath every night, and loves splashing in the water.

• Is very interested in all of Micah's toys, especially his matchbox cars, parking garages, books, bathroom stool, etc. We are working on the concept of sharing around the Raadt household.

• Starting to vocalize a little more. I can make out mama and baba.

Yogurt Faces

Boat Ride with her Bro

You wouldn't tell from her smile, but she has completely blown out her diaper in this picture. Macey's with her new favorite toy - Micah's bathroom stool.