SLEEP :) SOCCER :(

Let's start off with some cute pictures.




Yep, you see a smile next to the title SLEEP. For the past week, Spencer has slept in his own bed in his own room and giving Mommy about a 6 hour stretch. He's been going to bed around 6:30 to 6:45 and getting up in the morning around 5:30 or 6:00 (usually waking just once). Last night, he slept from 6:45 to 3:25 and then until 6:00. Mason also stayed in his own bed all night. This morning, when I got up to get Spencer, Mason was in his bed "reading" his Clifford books. It was the cutest thing. We told him he couldn't get out of bed until either Mommy and Daddy came to get or until his light went off (it is on a timer). I was sooooo very proud of him. Also, potty training is going great. He stays in underwear all day (even nap) and stays dry. The only hurdle now is getting him to go #2 on the potty. He is scared (due to past constipation) so when he has to go I put a pull-up on him. I don't like that he holds it in for days because it just makes things worse.

"BED HEAD"
Mason sorted these while playing. He is soooo smart.


On another note, soccer was not so good again this week. He just clung to me and kept asking to go home. The coach is awesome (he did ask if I wanted to switch him to a parent-tot class, but I really want him to get used to the idea of doing things without me, so we'll try again next week). He said that I can stay in the room and maybe Mason will eventually decide to participate. I wish I could say that I was OK with this behavior from Mason, but I'm just not. It frustrates me beyond belief. It makes me crazy. I guess I need to pray for patience and try not to get upset with him. It's not easy.
What else? Oh yeah, Aunt Jen and Becky stopped by for a short visit this past Sunday. It was so good to see them. They even brought lunch for us (Portillos, Yummy!) and little gifts for the boys. They found the cutest t-shirt for Mason that says "What happens in preschool, stays in preschool." Then on Tuesday, I noticed that Mason appeared to have pink eye again, so started up on drops again. We also woke up to more snow both Tuesday morning and this morning. Will it ever end?

Well, hope everyone enjoys the extra day this month. Happy Leap Year!

Disappointment

Well, I was very disappointed in Mason today. He did not participate in soccer at all. The coach allowed me to stay in the room but Mason just clung to me. He listened the majority of the time but with only 10 minutes left in class he was saying he wanted to go home (out loud). I didn't want him to be a distraction to the other kids so we left. He was soooo excited about taking soccer. We talked it up and explained to him how it was going to be. I guess will give it another try next week. The coach on the other hand was awesome. He was really good with the kids and was able to engage them. I always dreaded that my kid would be the one that wouldn't just go with the flow and now I am living it. I hate that I feel so disappointed in him and know that this is the first class that he is taking without Mommy so I should just let it go and try again. If anyone has suggestions, please pass them my way.

2 months old

I can't believe that our baby is 2 months old. These past 2 months have just flown by. Spencer has grown quite a bit too. At his check up today, he weighed in at 13lbs (that is a gain of 2lbs 6oz in the past month) and he is now 23 inches long (grew an inch and 3/4). WOW! Maybe some of his crying was due to growing pains (he seems much happier now although he didn't care much for his shots). You will notice in the pictures that he is a very happy baby and smiles a lot. He loves to carry on conversations with me and loves to sing along with myself and his big brother. I'll have to take a video of him talking to share next time I post. Last night, we moved Spencer into his room. He is going to bed earlier these days between 7:30 and 8:00 which is allowing me to help put Mason to bed.



Mason stayed in his bed all night last night. We are hoping for a repeat tonight. Maybe having Mommy spending more time with him at night will help. Also, Mason is doing a great job wearing his underwear. He had no accidents yesterday (including staying dry at nap with just underwear) and only 1 accident today. He really would like some GeoTrax, so that is our bribe for him to be potty trained. I figure if I'm not spending the money on diapers, he can have a new train. Tomorrow Mason starts soccer. He is really excited and even spent some time this evening "practicing" with Daddy. I will probably wait until next week to take some pictures. I'd like him to just focus on the coach tomorrow without Mommy in the way (but we'll wait and see). I think this will be really good for him and me.



As far as I go, I did get some scrapbooking done this week, 3 layouts so far. I ordered pictures for a few more layouts that I hope to get to this weekend and next week. I will try and scan them to post. I feel so much better now that I have taken a little time for me. Things will only continue to get better and easier. Well, have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope everyone had a nice day yesterday with the ones they love. The boys and I went up to Tim's branch to open Mason's savings account and have lunch. Knowing that it would be difficult to go to dinner having a very cranky baby in the evenings. Poor Spencer is not a very happy baby in the evenings. He does a lot of crying from about 5:30 or 6:00 on. I always look forward to Tim coming home, even though we don't actually get to spend anytime together. I am hoping that this phase will soon be grown out of. It's been pretty tough the past couple of weeks (especially since Mason gets up some nights). I think the combination of little sleep, crying baby, and trying 3 year old is starting to wear on me. Last night I finally broke down and cried right along with Spencer. Fortunately, he had a good night and slept most of it in his pack 'n play and has had a great day (allowing Mason and I to spend a lot of quality time together). I am looking forward to this weekend and having Tim home for the next 3 days.
Anyhow, I have included some pictures from this week. Our neighbor invited us over on Monday for some Valentine crafts and lunch. Unfortunately, Mason didn't want to participate in the crafts (he had not been to their house in quite some time and just wanted to play with his buddy's toys). I bought white picture frame mats and some heart stamps for the boys to decorate.

Mason ended up doing his the next day with me. I figure I can buy a frame and put a Valentine picture of the boys in it next year. It's pretty cute, we added some red sticker letters to it that says LOVE. Mason enjoyed helping with his lunch today. He spread the peanut butter on his bread and helped cut out trains using the new cookie cutters from Nana and Grandpa. You'll notice him eating a lollipop that they sent that lit up. Pretty cool.
We also enjoyed watching some new movies this week that Grandma and Grandpa sent.



Mason singing to Spencer one morning this week


Mason making his choo choo train peanut butter and jelly sandwich


Spencer exploring toy and a picture from his perspective

We got the call

YEAH! We got the call this morning saying that Mason got into the preschool that we wanted. The class he'll be in is not one that I initially wanted, but we'll take it. He will go Thursdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 3:00. I figure he will be almost 4, so if he doesn't get a nap 2 days a week, it will probably be OK. I'm just glad that I don't have to keep looking or play the waiting game. Now potty training is a must (he's been doing pretty good the past couple of weeks).

Visit

Spencer, Mason, and I went over to my cousin, Martha's on Thursday to meet her baby boy, Noah. I'm kicking myself because I forgot to take my camera with me. We did take a couple of pictures of the boys with her camera and I will add them to this post after she emails them to me (HINT HINT). Noah is such a cutie. He is exactly 3 weeks younger than Spencer. I look forward to lots of play dates in the future.
Yesterday, my sister, Barb and her family came to meet Spencer. Finally, everyone was healthy and they had nothing going on. I was sooooo happy to have them here. Hopefully, we will get together again soon.

Sleep?????

I don't know where the past 2 weeks have gone. I guess when you are feeling a little sleep deprived, the idea of spending a free moment updating the blog is not high on the priority list. The lack of sleep isn't even due to the fact that I get up to nurse a six week old, but more to the fact that our 3 year old is getting up in the middle of the night. For some reason, Mason has only slept thru the night once in the past 2 weeks. He sleeps with a light on and we keep his door open (otherwise, when he wakes he bangs on it). I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that Spencer sleeps in our room. Hopefully, we will be able to transition Spencer to his room in the next couple of weeks and get Mason back on track. I'm tired of just falling back to sleep after feeding Spencer to the calls of Mommy moments later. Tim or I end up laying with Mason in his bed (sometimes just until he falls back asleep and other times we fall asleep ourselves in his bed). I have always required a lot of sleep (8-10 hours) and lately I'm lucky to get 6 hours of broken sleep. I know it is only a phase and we will all be sleeping better again some day.
So anyhow, that is my excuse for not updating the blog. So to catch everyone up, we didn't get into the preschool I wanted. We are #2 on the waiting list. My fingers are crossed that we may still get in at some point. I am going to look into a couple of other preschools (although the down fall is the distance). Also, I signed Mason up for soccer. He starts at the end of this month. I know we will all benefit from him burning off some extra built up energy every Friday. I am also really working on the potty training. My goal now is to have him fully potty trained (during the day) by June. I am being realistic and giving myself plenty of time. Also, Mason has gotten quite good at the computer. He loves to play memory on the Thomas website. He has an excellent memory, it amazes me. I'm also amazed at well he is with the mouse. Good hand-eye coordination.
Spencer is getting bigger every day. He smiles a lot and makes lots of coo sounds. He usually wakes twice during the night (around 12:30 or 1:00 and again around 5:00). He still sleeps a lot during the day too, although I look forward to a couple of longer naps and not just these cat naps.
As for me, I have been practicing taking pictures outside of auto mode. The scrapbook website I like (twopeasinabucket) is offering a free 12 week photography course. I also hope to start up scrapbooking again soon. That's about all for now. Enjoy the pictures. As you can see, we have had a lot of snow and are expected to get more tonight into tomorrow.