The Fletcher Family

New Year's Eve 2010

2010-01-10T10:59:00.002-08:00

We celebrated the New Year with the Conley and Mullins families. Scott and Michelle hosted a fun party where the kids rang in the new year New York Style (at 9:00). Mommy and Daddy actually got to indulge in some holiday fun too. It was great to have adult time while the kids played. Fun times, making memories......

New Year

2010-01-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

Seeing Double

2010-01-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

Da Nanananananna, Batman! Holden and Aidan's favorite thing to do is wear their costumes and talk to each other through their walkie talkies. If you drive down our street on any given day, this is what you'll see - two buds saving the day.

Tuckered Out

2010-01-10T10:44:00.001-08:00

Holden and Daddy sneak in some zzzs after a long day of play.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

It was a very "Bat" Christmas at the Fletcher House this year. Holden got a Batman costume and walkie talkies, and Cash got a bblack push truck. Holden has worn his costume everyday since, and Cash's truck has become the Batmobile when playing outside. Nana Judy and Papa Jim got Holden a Batcave toy which he LOVES. Nana Nancy and Papa Gene got the boys a train set which will be awesome around our Christmas tree for years to come. Christmas was so great this year because Holden really got what it all meant. Cash cruised and went with the flow. He enjoyed the paper and bows, and liked to play with each new gift that was opened. After we opened presents, we played for a bit and then went to Aunt Tabi and Uncle Mike's for dinner. We had delicious Mexican food, and had fun catching up with them. I'm still a little sad it's all over - we had the BEST Christmas ever!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we went to The Brigantine for dinner and then drove through Del Mar's Holiday of Lights. Once we got home, the boys opened new Christmas jammies, set out a note and cookies for Santa, and then went to bed so Santa could come.

The Grace Girls

2010-01-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

Lori, Ryan and Charlie came for a visit on December 21st. We went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza for lunch and then exchanged gifts. I didn't get many pictures. Man, I always do that. I just have too much fun chatting to take many photos. Lori got some cute ones - check out her blog at http://www.growingupgrace.blogspot.com

Hullabaloo & Santa

2010-01-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Conleys had a Christmas party for the little ones on Tuesday, December 15th. Hullabaloo came to sing Christmas tunes and Santa even stopped by! Cash wasn't sure what to think of Santa, but Holden hopped right up and told him he wanted "bat toys" (Batman). When Santa was leaving, Holden asked him where he landed his sleigh. He explained that he had to park it at the airport, and that he drove in a car to the party. Too cute!

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas tree on December 6th and decorated it that night. I got the boys matching Santa jammies to get them excited for the holiday season. Here's their little photo session before we put Cash to bed so we could decorate.

Playtime

2010-01-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken on December 5th, one day after Cash's first birthday. They really represent what Cashy loves these days: playing with Holden, exploring the toy closet, and climbing the stairs. Ugh...I spend most of my days chasing him up the stairs. I know, we need to get a baby gate but we just haven't yet. Cash loves his bouncer and loves playing with Holden's big boy toys like monster trucks. Cash also LOVES playing in the kitchen. His favorites are the pots and pans and the drawer with all the ziplocs. He rips them all out of the box and throws them on the floor. These boys are a handful but are tons of fun.

Cash's Real Birthday

2010-01-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

Well, the week from Cash's birthday celebration to his actual birthday on Friday, December 4th was quite a week. Cash went on antibiotics for an ear infection the day before Thanksgiving. Our first day back to school on Monday, I got a call from Childcare saying Cash had a fever. Trey was on a week long trip so I had to take work off. I took Cash back to the doctor and he had a tonsil infection. The doctor thought it was probably viral since he was already on antibiotics. We ended up staying home for three days because his fever never broke. Poor Cash was so, so sick! I took him back to the doctor on Thursday and he gave him stronger antibiotics. He was instantly better once he had the stronger stuff. We were both back to school on Friday, his first birthday. Trey also got home that afternoon. After dinner, we realized we didn't get any cake or cupcakes so we improvised with an Oreo and whipped cream. Cash, again, didn't like it very much at first but then dug in and ended up loving it!

Cash's First Birthday Celebration

2010-01-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Cash's first birthday the day after Thanksgiving so Nana and Papa could join us. The Conley family came too. We played at the park and had cupcakes. Cash wanted absolutely nothing to do with the cake. Trey tried and tried to interest him in it, but it just didn't happen. Cash got a new tricycle from us, a darling backpack from the Conleys, and a Laugh and Learn activity table from Nana and Papa. Happy birthday, Cash!

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving Nana Judy and Papa Jim came down. I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner and luckily it turned out pretty yummy. We were happy to spend so much quality time with Nana and Papa. We went to dog beach one day, spent some time around the house, and celebrated Cash's first birthday while they were here. My mom and I even got a day away to go shopping. Papa brought Holden a new watch and he had the same one. They were so cute with their matching watches. Trey worked on the Suburban on Thanksgiving and Cash loved to watch from the screen door. It was an all around great Thanksgiving!

Cash's First Haircut

2010-01-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

On November 24th, I took Cash to get his first haircut. We went to our favorite place, Little Locks, and Joy cut his hair. Big brother Holden went first. Cash watched and then had his turn. He LOVED sitting in the car. He got a little squirmy toward the end but did great overall.

Christmas Card Photo Session

2010-01-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

One day mid-November, I decided to take the boys up to my bedroom to shoot some photos for Christmas cards. I came down and looked at them on the computer and decided that none of them turned out. Then I edited them on Picnik.com and came up with these. In the end, I think they turned out pretty cute. My favorite is the one with Holden wearing the sunglasses. I was taking the picture of just Cash, and then when I shot Holden popped up wearing the sunglasses at the exact moment. I think the series of photos shows their personalities perfectly.

First Desert Trip

2009-11-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 18th Trey and Scott took Holden and Gavin out to Octotillo Wells for their first ever desert trip. I didn't get too many details except that it was "fun". Holden was exhausted by the time he got home at 8:30 p.m. I see many more trip in the near future!

11 Months Old

2009-11-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Cash is 11 months old today!

Cash is a good eater who has just started self feeding himself. Cash began protesting baby food in the middle of October. He would slap the spoon out of my hand as it approached his mouth, and we’d both be covered with pureed fruits and veggies. I finally stopped buying the baby food, and now just give him chopped up people food. He usually eats what we eat. Luckily, he will try just about anything. He even ate some of my shrimp tacos this past weekend. He makes it very clear when he doesn’t like something though. He pounds his fists on the high chair and then uses broad sweeping motions to push all of the food off onto the floor. He has started to use his own version of the baby signs “more” and “all done”. For “more” he claps his hands and says MMMMM, and for all done he waves his hands and slams his body against the back of his high chair. He screams if he wants more, and he screams when he’s all done and I don't get him out fast enough. He pretty much screams all the time.

However, Cash does have one true word - “Mama”. I walked in to childcare last week and he said it. “Mama”. It was a sweet, sweet sound. He also uses mama to tell us he wants more of something.

Our Cash is so active these days. It’s close to impossible to get him dressed or change his diaper. He squirms all over the place and does the alligator death roll while screaming and crying. We have to move fast. He cruises along all of the furniture, and will now step from the coffee table to the couch while holding on. Last week, I saw him let go and stand all by himself for about two seconds. He loves his walker and walks all over the place with it. When the walker is out of reach he pushes dining room chairs around to get where he wants to go. He’s a super fast crawler, which means we have to be lightning fast when getting into the refrigerator. The refrigerator is one of his favorite places to play, and as soon as he hears that door open, he bolts over there. He’s become interested in opening cabinets and drawers. As of now they are rubber banded shut, and I think that will deter him for a while. But for how long, who knows?

Cash loves his big brother, Holden. Holden makes funny noises at him in the back seat when we’re driving, and Cashy cracks up laughing. I love it, and usually end up laughing myself. They take a bath together every night, and now that Cash has moved out of his bath seat, they are in there squirming around together. The biggest challenge is that Cash wants to stand up in the bath now, so I’m constantly having to sit him back down and tell him that we sit in the bathtub. He's also started to lick the bath water.

Cash goes to bed around 6:30. After their bath, I get Cash dressed in his jammies while Holden dresses himself. Then we all sit in the rocking chair together and read books. Lately, we love all the Sandra Boynton books. There is also an Interactive Touch and Feel book that Cash LOVES. He feels the fur and squeaks the squeaker on the mouse page. We turn off the light and rock for a few minutes. I turn on soft music and lay Cash down. He goes down really easily and puts himself to sleep. Since the time change, Cash has been waking up around 4:45 each morning. I hope he adjusts soon and we start getting some sleep in time in the future.

Baby Cash is almost one. I really can’t believe it.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

We started our Halloween evening by carving pumpkins, then we were off to our neighborhood party. The Wojtkowski's hosted our third annual Halloween Bash. The kids had an apple eating contest, guessed at an estimating jar (Trey won!), limboed, and hit a pinata. When it got dark, we all hit the streets to trick-or-treat. Cash was exhausted so we put him to sleep and brought the monitor out. We were happily surprised to find out it worked all around the neighborhood! Since there are only 42 houses in our loop, we finished trick-or-treating in about 30 minutes, so we went back to the Wojtkowski's to play (and drink) a little bit longer. We were home and tucked in by 8:30. When we got home Holden picked out his favorite candy and left the rest for The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin came after Holden was asleep and replaced his candy with a new Spiderman Quad! Cash got a set of play keys. We had two happy boys!!

Daycare Halloween Parade

2009-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Holden and Cash had their Halloween Parade at daycare yesterday (10/30). The kids trick-or-treat around the district office and get fussed over by all the administrators. They do it every year, but this is the first year I was really sad to miss it; I cried on my way to school. I was so happy to log on to our district webpage after school to see Cash, our cute little monkey boy, on the front page! Spiderman was so tired from his day of fun that he was still sleeping at 4:00 when I picked him up.

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24th. Holden, of course, LOVED it and Cash did too. We bought a pack of 12 tickets and Holden went wild. The workers were all so nice and gave long rides and long turns. At first, Cash just hung out with Mom & Dad and played with a few pumpkins, but then we started taking him on the rides we could do with him. He was so happy, and smiled through each ride. Cash got to go on the train, the merry-go-round, the monster truck ride, and the swings. The swings were our last ride for the night. Trey went to put Holden in a swing, and I told him Cash could go too. Trey disagreed and said he was too young. I pointed to another baby, a tiny little baby girl getting on about three swings ahead of Holden. The worker told Trey babies go all the time, so Cash got to go all by himself, and he loved it!

On the Move

2009-10-24T14:26:00.001-07:00

Since Cash has been born, he's hung out in the stroller while his brother plays in the street with his friends. On Monday, October 19th Cash decided enough is enough! He was fussy in his stroller but we weren't ready to go in yet. I took him out of the stroller and gave him the little Mickey Mouse airplane to play with on the grass. Much to my surprise, he stood up and started walking all over the place. He was so excited! He felt like a big boy to be out "playing". He walked, giggled, and screamed little happy noises of joy! We're so happy for our little guy but not so much for ourselves. Now we have two kids to keep an eye on out there.

We've Been Boo'd

2009-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

We got Boo'd! Last Sunday evening, the doorbell rang and Holden and I ran to get it. What we found was a gift and a note saying that we've been boo'd. The goodie bag was filled with Halloween treats - candy, a shirt for Cash, a Halloween slinky, and a Halloween laser light. The note said we then had to Boo another house. Since last Sunday, most houses have been Boo'd. We love driving around each morning to see who else got Boo'd the night before. (Please note Holden's Batman jammies. He has lived in them since I got them a few weeks ago! Holden is Batman Crazy!)

Little Rascalz Soccer

2009-10-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

Holden goes to a Little Rascalz soccer class every Wednesday from 4:10-5:00 with his friends Gavin and Morgan. It's a great class where kids ages 3-5 learn the fundamentals of soccer. Holden loves going, and Mommy and Daddy love catching up with their friends too. Cash plays in the grass and crawls around while the kids play soccer. It's just an all around great family time! We'll be sad when our 8 week session ends on October 28th.

Lake Mead

2009-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the Lake Mead with the Conleys the weekend of September 18th. What a blast! Trey and I hadn't been for years, and he was dying to get Holden out on the jet ski. Holden took to the lake immediately. He decided he wanted to live there and never leave. What more could a boy ask for - mud, water, motorized water craft - he was in heaven! We can't wait for our future trips to the lake with our boys - it's such a perfect place for them!

Nine Months Old

2009-10-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

Cash turned nine months old on Friday, September 4th. We went to Dr. Rubenstein for his nine month well-check on Wednesday, September 2nd. When I picked him up from school I realized his bottom tooth had cut through! Yay, finally! Cash weighed 22 lbs. 8 oz. (80th %ile), his height was 29 in. (75 %ile), and his head circumference was 44 cm (20th %ile). We were surprised at his percentiles, we thought he was going to be off the charts for all of them. We were wrong, and to our surprise he's not far off from where Holden was at that age. Cash just seems so much bigger, but he's really not.

Cash is a happy easy-going baby, but is not shy to let you know if he's mad. He's adjusted well to full time daycare, but didn't sleep a whole lot at the beginning. The teachers said even though he must be tired, he never fusses or cries. He's a happy, cruiser kind of guy. He loves being around the other kids all day.

At nine months, Cash is crawling, playing peek-a-boo, standing with support, babbling, and beginning to use his pincer grasp to pick up food. He prefers to be fed, but we're trying to encourage him to use his thumb and finger grasp. Cash just got his first two teeth right around his 9 month birthday. He is wearing 12-18 month clothes and a size three diaper.

We love our happy boy!

Eagle's Nest for Labor Day

2009-10-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Nana Nancy and Papa Gene invited us up to spend the weekend with them at Eagle's Nest for Labor Day. Trey had flights scheduled on Saturday and Monday, so we went up on Saturday night when he got home and returned Sunday night. It was a super fun-filled 24 hours! Eagle's Nest is like Disneyland for Holden, and Trey. They were in heaven the whole time playing with all the toys: the motorized boat, row boat, RC race truck, atc 70, fishing. Holden didn't stop the whole time we were there - he honestly couldn't get enough of it all. Cash took great naps up there - two 2.5 hours naps. We're crediting the fresh, clean mountain air. Houston had the time of his life. He swam, hunted for sticks, and ran free. The trip was easy and fun, and we left saying we need to go up more often. Holden asked to go to Eagle's Nest for about two straight weeks after we got home. When I asked him his favorite part of Eagle's Nest, he said, "The boat." I asked if he meant the row boat or the remote control boat, and he said, "Both." He loves it up there!

The Last Day of Summer

2009-10-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

We spent our last official day of summer on the beach in Del Mar. Holden surfed, Cashy played in the sand, and I enjoyed my last day of summer bliss.

Holden is surfing!

2009-08-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Holden has been very into surfing this summer - his new favorite movie has been Surf's Up. He enjoyed watching the surfers at the beach, but when we asked him if he wanted to surf, he'd say, "No, when I'm a little older." He wanted to be as big as his dad before he tried. Trey took him with "the guys" this week - Scott & Gavin, Mark & Michael, and Jamie. Holden stood up on the surfboard for the first time and he was hooked. He's asked me everyday since if I could take him surfing. We had a family beach day yesterday, and Holden had many surf sessions. He LOVES it!

First Day of Daycare 2009

2009-08-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Holden and Cash started back to daycare today. Holden was so excited to go back and see Gravedigger and all of his friends. Even though he has a Gravedigger monster truck here at home, he couldn't wait to go see the one at school. Holden started to get a little sad when I was about to leave, but then his friend Caitlin walked in and he forgot all about me.

Cash went right into Emily's arms and then played on the floor with a little girl named Elise. He seemed happy. I don't think he even realized I left.

I hope they both have a great first day. I was so excited for today to come and to finally have a day to myself, but now that they're not with me I'm sad. They're a spunky pair that keep me on my toes.

Eight and Half Months Old

2009-08-24T09:11:00.001-07:00

Going for a Ride

2009-08-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to me that when Trey and Holden ride around the block on their motorcycles that they each just hop on their own and go. Holden is growing up so fast.

New Shades

2009-08-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

CJ Goes to the Waterpark

2009-08-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last week (8/14) we took Cashy to our community pool to go in the water park for the first time - he loved it! He loved splashing in the little spouts, and licking the water (yuck!). At one point, he got himself stuck right in front of a tall water fall. He didn't know to move, so he just sat there getting all wet. Too cute! Luckily, his mama saved him pretty quickly. Holden ran around showing Cash the ropes. He's such a big boy now.

Bath Hats

2009-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's a party in the bath every night with Holden and Cash. They crack each other up. Just about every night we put on "hats". Cash usually gets the turquoise hospital tub, while Holden and I use the little stackable cups. It's super fun when Cash gets a "double-decker hat". I yell out, "OH DOUBLE-DECKER HAT!", and we all crack up. I have a feeling Cash is going to be a little party animal. He's all about fun!

Working in the Garage

2009-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Trey starts 'em young. Holden and I came home from the pool and found Cash sitting on the jet ski "working" with Dad. Too cute!

Cash is Crawling!

2009-08-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

On August 9th Cash did his first forward motion crawling - hand, knee, hand, knee. Just in time for Nana Judy to see! Since then he's made huge progress - he's crawling across the room now. He loves being independent and that toys are no longer out of reach. Yesterday, I saw that he wanted a ball. He started to sit, and then a little wave of recognition occurred. He remembered he could crawl. He crawled over and got the ball and was SO HAPPY! It made me smile. It's so wonderful celebrating these milestones with your kids.

Nana Judy!

2009-08-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Nana Judy came for a visit on August 9th. We took the boys to the park in the late afternoon. Cash played in the sand and rode on a swing for the first time. At one point, he fell backwards into the sand and just laid there. He loved the feel of the sand. When we put him on the swing, he chuckled with joy. It was the happiest sound on Earth! Cash LOVED the swing. Holden climbed to the top of the big rock all by himself. He was so determined and kept working at it until he found a path that he could make it up.

On August 10th we all went to Legoland. Nana stayed with Cash while Holden and I rode rides. Sorry no pictures...I brought the video camera instead.

Before Nana left on the 11th, we decorated the caterpillar cake that we baked the day before. Holden was so happy with the finished product!

Cash Completes his ISR Lessons

2009-08-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Cash finished his ISR lessons on Friday, August 7th. One of his last "tests" was to wear winter clothes into the pool (Thursday, August 6th). It was actually his first time ever wearing shoes and socks! He did great, even with winter clothes and a regular diaper. He was put into all of the most difficult placements and passed with flying colors. I teared up through most of the lesson, so happy and proud of Baby Cash.

8 Months Old

2009-08-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Cash is eight months old. He is a very happy, easy going baby. He's got such a great personality and loves to make people laugh, especially Holden. They crack each other up, and roll around on the floor together. Their playtime usually ends with Cash pulling Holden's hair and sucking on his face. I love seeing these brothers together.

Cash is sleeping great from 7 pm to about 6:30 am. He takes two solid naps a day around 8:30 and 1:30. He eats three meals of fruits and veggies and drinks 24-28 ounces of formula a day. He has lost his chunky figure and has grown really tall. I think he'll be over the 100th percentile for height at his next appointment. Cash still has NO teeth. They are right below his gum line. In fact, I can see fully formed teeth right there, but they've still not cut through. Everyday I'm sure they're going to pop through but it just isn't happening. I think once the first one cuts through, they're all going to pop out. Little Cash looks like an old guy without his dentures in; he sits around chomping his gums together. Come 'on already teeth!

Cash is definitely on the move but is not officially crawling on his eight month birthday. We moved his crib mattress down due to his increased mobility. He got in and the first thing he did was stand up in it. I ran down to get the camera, and he did sort of stand up again, but not like the first time.

Silly Boys

2009-08-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Living in a house full of boys is a hoot sometimes. Trey and Holden went up to get dressed one morning, but came down giggling. I didn't know what the big deal was until I went in to see them....

Baby in the Corner

2009-08-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

August 3rd - At this point, it's really no use putting the blanket down on the ground for Cash. It ends up all bunched up and he's off it in a second anyway. Cash is backing himself up now. On this particular day, he backed himself up into the corner. Luckily, he has a great big brother that came to play with him!

Nice Moves

2009-08-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

August 1st - Cash is getting himself to all fours, rocking back and forth, and also laying his head down on the ground. He's so proud of his moves and enjoys being mobile.

On August 2nd I decided to try to put Cash in the travel swing so I could play monster trucks with Holden. Cash hadn't been in it for about a month, but I figured he would just sit and watch us. Wrong! He started reaching for the bar at the base, played with the toys on the sides, reached for his toes. He did everything BUT sit and watch us - he was so tickled with himself.

Legoland

2009-08-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 28th the Grace girls came down to stay the night. We went to the pool, and then the kids tucked into bed early for a fun trip to Legoland the next day. It was our first trip to Legoland, and we had a blast. Holden and I bought season passes. We're looking forward to many more trips this year! Thanks for coming down Lori, Ryan, and Charlie!

Hat Day at Aidan's

2009-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

The neighborhood boys were out front playing and riding scooters. Aidan wanted to move the fun into his backyard but he declared, "If you want to play in the backyard, you have to wear a hat." Then he promptly passed out hats. Holden and Zephyr are not hat people, but they happily wore them the entire time. It was too cute!

Pee Wee Sports Camp

2009-08-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Holden and his neighborhood friends went to Pee Wee Sports Camp from July 13th to July 17th from 9:00 to 12:30. They learned the fundamentals of soccer, football, basketball, tee-ball, and field hockey. They played games, and went through obstacle courses. The memories they created together will last a lifetime.

Mom & Dad's Night Out

2009-08-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Trey and I had our first overnight out since Holden was born on July 11th to celebrate Hillary's 40th birthday. It was a western themed party (amazing!) which Trey and I totally embraced. And the boys managed to survive without us for the night. We really need to get out more often, we had a great time!

Visalia

2009-08-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

On July 5th, Trey flew us up to Visalia to visit my parents. Flying made the trip so easy - it only took an hour and half to get there. Cash napped through the flight, and Holden rode up front with Trey. We had an amazing time - it's gotten so much easier now that Holden is a little older (and Cash is still immobile). Holden swam all day everyday. Jill's family stopped in for a night. They arrived just as we were all bawling our eyes out watching Marley and Me. It was great to see them, and Holden loved swimming with the girls the next morning. Thanks Nana Judy and Papa Jim, we had so much fun!

San Diego County Fair

2009-07-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

On July 2, 2009 we took the boys to the fair. Trey and Holden went early to see the monster truck show, while I took Cash to swim lessons. Afterward, we all met up and took Holden on rides. The highlight was a REAL MONSTER TRUCK ride - we're still talking about it to this day.

Just Getting so Big!

2009-07-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2009 - Look how Cash can do one armed push-ups. His primary motivation is getting the toys in his mouth - we're still waiting on those darn teeth. Around this time he also started holding his own bottle. It really comes in handy when I'm trying to prepare dinner. Way to go, Second Kid! Thanks for helping Mom out!

The Happy Sitter

2009-07-03T21:50:00.001-07:00

While waiting for his teeth to break through, Cash is happy to sit and play with toys.

"Hey Mom, Watch This!"

2009-07-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Holden's got a sweet jump, forward roll move off our front wall. It always starts with, "Hey Mom, watch this!" He's been doing it for months, but I finally captured it on film. I think I love it even more now that I have the still shots of it. I used the "sports" mode on my camera where it took a shot every second (or maybe even faster). He did it twice and I'm posting both because I love his set-up stance on his second set - shoulder up, sizing everything up - not to mention he catches some serious air. Maybe he has a career in gymnastics!Check out this set-up....

After those sweet moves, Jenn had to say good-bye.

A Mid-morning Photo Sesh

2009-07-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, June 26th, I realized I had dressed the boys in coordinating outfits so why not take some photos. We were outside trying to pass time anyway. We had the house cleaners inside, and my friend Jenn was getting ready to leave. I plopped the boys down in the front yard, and then quickly realized it was the first time Cash had ever seen grass. He was mesmerized by it! Cash is a good little photo taker - he smiles and everything. I actually managed to get a few photos where they were both looking and smiling. A small miracle!

Our Water Baby

2009-06-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Cash started his Infant Swimming Resource lessons with Miss Annette on Monday, June 22nd. Cash had never been in the water except for baths, so we weren't sure how he was going to do. He was immediately happy and comfortable in the pool. As an infant, Cash will learn how to flip himself over to a float if he falls in the water. So far, he has been working on floating and rolling back. His first roll back really pissed him off - for about 2.5 seconds. He screamed when he came out of the water and then was immediately fine. These lessons are definitely an investment of time and money, but I think there is nothing more worthwhile. We love ISR!

Beach House - June 2009

2009-06-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had our week at the beach house June 13th -2oth. Holden loves the beach house more than life itself. It was a little challenging for me this year because Cash needed to be up at the house more often, and Holden wanted to be on the beach all day. Trey had to work 3 of the days, so it was a definite balancing act trying to keep both boys happy. Thank goodness for Trey's cousins, Sandi and Kelli, who often kept an eye on Holden while I was tending to Cash. We had friends over, bbqed, and played all week long. The last few days were pretty cold but that didn't stop us from having fun. Each year we feel so lucky to have this wonderful beach house - it's so close yet we feel like we're miles away. We love our summers in Del Mar!

Matching suits!
Flying the kite
It's flying high!
Our beach get-up - Cash's pack 'n play was inside.
The Girls. Holden LOVED playing with Charlie and Eden. He would see them and say, "Oh, The Girls!" and then run after them going, "Girls! GIRLS!" They were so sweet with him; they played, talked, went in the water together, and always hugged when they had to say good-bye.
The blow -up rafts always provided beach fun!

Lots of friends came to play - Aidan (pictured here), Cole, Gavin, Blake, Zephyr, Lauren, Philip, Mikey. I wasn't very good about snapping pictures this trip.
Morning cartoons!
Cash watched too!
...and they played.
Learning to surf

While Brother surfed, Cash and I hung on the beach.
Our Beach Boys!
Bye Beach!

Our Yogi

2009-06-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Holden LOVES standing on his head. He often watches tv in this position. No joke.

Meet French (and French)

2009-06-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

Holden found this little stuffed dog in Cash's toy basket and immediately fell in love with him. While he played with him one weekend morning, I asked Holden what his name was. He matter of factly told me "French" without skipping a beat. He then explained, "He likes to jump and play ball." Later on he found the little cat in his toy closet and said it was French's friend. When I asked what his name was he said, "French too (or is it French 2?)." Although the kitty friend has not shown up much anymore, French is very much a part of our family now. Holden sometimes sleeps with him, and plays with him often. His tone always turns into a loving one when he sees him, "Hey Mom, there's French!"

Six Month Well Check

2009-06-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Cash had his six month well visit on June 3rd. We weighed 2o pounds 6 ounces (90th %ile). His height was 27 3/4 inches (90th %ile). His head circumference was 42.5 centimeters (20th %ile). Cash Jones met all of his developmental milestones: reaching well for objects, following our movements with his eyes, rolling over, sitting with support, thinks peek-a-boo is funny, and looks for objects out of sight (object permenance). He received four vaccinations: DaPt, HIB, Prevnar, and Rotateq.

We got the green light to start fruits and veggies. He had his first veggie, sweet potatoes, the next day on his actual birthday, June 4th. Since then, he's had peas, carrots (his favorite!), pears, and winter squash.

Cash is a very happy, smiley baby, but is not shy about letting you know when he's pissed. He has the loudest, ear-piercing scream ever. Luckily, he's pretty mellow most of the time.

Cash has been sleeping well. He sleeps soundly through the night and has been napping well. Cash rolled onto his belly during his morning nap on Saturday, June 20th and has been belly sleeping ever since.

Six months old, ready to try a new food.
His first bite of sweet potatoes, with a little rice cereal on the side.
Alright, not bad Mom!

Big Boy Bath

2009-06-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

Cashy started taking a bath with Holden at the beginning of May. His sitting got stronger and stronger, and here on May 21st he was completely enjoying his baths sitting up. He loves looking at the water and splashing his hands and feet.

Rolling Over

2009-06-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Cash rolled over (back to tummy) for the first time on May 21, 2009 - five months and 17 days old. He had been curling onto his side for a little while before, but on this particular day, he curled on his side and pumped his little leg in the air until he flipped himself over. So cute! I put him back on his back and he did it again. I called everybody I knew and I watched him flip over exactly four times. Somebody asked if I'd take pictures of it yet, but I hadn't. I took out my camera and wouldn't you know he wouldn't roll over anymore. I snapped his further attempts to capture his outfit, the location, etc. but actually caught his roll overs a few days later.

Actual Day of First Roll Overs - Although Not Captured on Film Rolling Over Captured on May 23, 2009

Three

2009-05-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Holden is growing up. I look at his long legs, and his sweet face and see almost no traces of babyhood. While I watch him "carving turns" on his scooter or getting himself dressed, I realize my baby is a big boy now.

He asserts his independence and says the darndest (and embarrassing) things. Today we were walking through the Babies R Us parking lot, he yelled out, "HEY, CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!!? DO YOU HAVE POOP IN YOUR PANTS??!!??!!" I was completely caught off guard and started cracking up. Probably not the right thing to do because he became totally tickled with himself and yelled it again. Then when we got home I went out to the garage to see what he was doing. I wanted to sneak up and take his picture while he was playing. I found him holding the trash can. I asked him what he was doing. He replied, "I'm carrying junk!"

Holden is starting to potty train himself at night. He'll get up in the middle of the night and go into the bathroom all by himself and then get back in bed. I had to tell him not to flush because he woke up Cash the first couple of nights. Now if that's not a sign that he's growing up, I don't know what is!

Five and a Half Months

2009-05-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Cash Jones is five and a half months old! He's leaving the helpless baby stage and is starting to become an interactive member of our family. He loves to be in the mix - giggling, cooing, and blowing rasberries all the while. Holden has started playing with Cash since he's become more alert and nothing melts my heart faster than seeing those two having fun together.

He has just finished attending his first month of daycare. It's been an emotional rocky road for me. I wasn't happy with some of the things happening in his room, and let things bottle up. We looked into getting a nanny and that did not work out. I realized a lot about myself in the process. I went in and spoke to the director of childcare about the issues we were having, and things have improved dramatically since. He's starting to sleep better and is happy when I pick him up.

Cash sleeps pretty well at night. He goes to bed between 6:00 and 6:30 and wakes up around 6:00 am. He's been waking up once a night between 2:00 and 3:00 to eat. On Thursday, May 14th Trey and I woke up and asked if the other got up with Cash. Neither of us had, he slept through the night. On Friday, he woke up again in the middle of the night. I decided yesterday (Saturday, 5/16) that it was time for cry it out. From what I've read five months is about the perfect age - they're old enough to not need to eat and haven't really learned the habit of waking up for attention yet. I think this was around the time we did it with Holden and it was pretty fast; it only took a couple of nights. So I "filled his tank" yesterday. I think I was able to squeeze an extra bottle into his day. He slept through the night from 6:45 pm to 6:15 am - no crying needed! I hope we can continue this trend - I really can't stand hearing my baby cry in the night.

Cash had to go to the doctor twice in the past month. He developed bronchitis. The second time Trey took him for a check right after he finished his antibiotics. His lungs were clear, but still had a residual cough. The shocking part of the visits were that Cash weighed 19 lbs. 3 ounces at the first visit and 19 lbs. 13 oz. at the visit 10 days later. We've got one chunky monkey!

Cash has found his feet this week. He loves laying on the floor and reaching for his toes. It's really too cute for words. He can roll on his side, but he hasn't made it over quite yet.

Easter 2009

2009-04-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 11th our community had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. It ended up pouring rain right when the 0-3 year olds were supposed to do their hunt. It didn't stop them though! Once the rain passed, they were out there having the time of their life. Holden hunted with his friend Aidan, and then ran wild around the community center until they were allowed to go in the jump houses. That night, Trey and Holden dyed eggs. I was in and out because I was putting Cash down at the same time.

Holden woke up Sunday morning to a few gifts from the Easter Bunny, and hunted for the eggs that Easter Bunny had hidden. Cash played on his mat while his big brother hunted. That day we all took Houston to dog beach, and I enjoyed my last official day of maternity leave.

We Survived Our First Week Back

2009-04-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

I went back to work on Monday, April 13th, and both boys started full-time daycare. On Monday, Trey was home and dropped the kids off at school. I was euphoric for the first couple hours of school - I felt free. I didn't have to change any diapers, nobody was crying, and I was having real adult conversations without being interrupted. By our first recess, I was starting to miss the boys. I think I tried to call daycare, but nobody answered. By lunch, I called daycare again to see how they were doing. Cash was sleeping and Holden was doing fine. I picked them up around 3:00. Holden had three time-outs that day for hitting his friends. His teachers said he was "a little hyper today". Cash ate drank all of his bottles and slept a total of two and a half hours. That night Cash woke up five or six times during the night. Ugh!

On Tuesday, Trey dropped the kids off again. I was tired and run-down at work. It started raining after school just in time to pick the kids up. Holden was sitting in a time-out when I walked in. Cash drank his bottles fine, but only slept a total of one hour. I was in a horrible mood the rest of the night. Cash woke up about four times that night.

Trey was leaving for Mexico on Wednesday morning so I had to drop the kids off. I almost cried. I was so exhausted from the previous two nights, and I was beside myself that my kids weren't doing well at daycare. They ended up having a pretty good day. Holden was well behaved and Cash slept for an hour and a half. I was by myself that night. I put them both to bed and then went to bed myself around 8:00. Cash only woke up once.

All of us woke up around 5:30 on Thursday morning. I changed Cash and put him in the travel swing in our bathroom. Holden hopped int he shower with me. We made it out the door easily and I had them to school by 7:00. I was much better emotionally (probably because of more sleep) at school. Holden was well behaved. Cash slept a little over two hours. I picked them up early. Holden had a friend come over to play. Cash was in bed asleep by 6:20ish. Holden went down easily and I went right to bed. Both Cash and Holden woke up at 11:15. I fed Cash and put him back down. Holden wanted to sleep with me, but I walked him back to his room and layed down with him. He complained that his ear hurt, really hurt, so I gave him Motrin. I ended up falling asleep in his bed. I went back to my room around 3:00 a.m.

On Friday, Cash slept in until about 5:45. I brought him in the shower with me. I had to wake Holden up at 6:30- he was sleeping so soundly. Luckily it was pajama day at school, so getting him ready was a breeze. I had them to school by 7:00, and they ended up having good days again. Holden had his first poop at school, and Cash slept two hours (which I can't believe I'm considering is good). Cash was in bed by 6:20. Holden was in bed by 7:45. I fell asleep in his room again. I made it back to my bed around 10:30. Cash woke up once and Holden slept through.

Here we are on Saturday morning. It's 8:45 and we're all still in our pjs. Cash is sleeping in his swing. Holden is playing and watching tv. Trey gets home from Mexico today. Whew!

Working full time is exhausting. Any free moment I have at home needs to be spent making lunches, washing bottles, feeding the kids, picking up the house. My laundry is piled high and I don't think I've checked the mail since Tuesday. Only 38 more days of school, but who's counting!?!

Officially Sleeping Through

2009-04-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

For the first time since Cash's birth, I woke up on my own and not to the sound of Cash crying. On Wednesday, April 8th Cash went to bed at about 7:15 p.m. He didn't wake up until Thursday morning at about 6:15. Eleven hours of sleep! I got up right before he did, happily realizing I wasn't up in the wee hours of the morning. Last night was similar - he woke up a little earlier at 5:30 a.m. I put his pacifier back in and left him in bed until about 6:15. I think he's officially sleeping through the night. Just in time for me to go back to work!

Cereal for Cash

2009-04-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to try cereal with Cash this morning (4/4). Why not? I went with single grain oatmeal because that is what worked better for Holden. Cash had a few "bites", and I can't really say if he liked it or not. Holden wanted to help, and he did a great job feeding his brother. Cash immediately fell asleep after eating, but I think it had less to do with the oatmeal and more to do with him just being tired.

Our Little Picasso

2009-04-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Holden got an art easel for his birthday from Nana Judy and Papa Jim. He's really been enjoying it lately. His favorite thing is to "mix 'da colors."

"Look Mom! I mix 'da colors!"

I asked him if he could write his name. Here's the sequence in pictures:

O

L
D

And that was as far as he got...

We started a new page and I asked if he could make a rainbow.

When I asked what that was in the middle, he said, "A pot of gold!" Later when he saw his "name" paper upside down on the ground, he looked at the "d" and said, "Look, it's a bike!" If you go back and look it really does look like a bike. I'm so proud of our little artist.

Cash's 4 Month Well Check

2009-04-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Cashy had his well check on Thursday, April 2nd. He met all but one of his developmental milestones:

Reaching well for objects - check!
Following our movements and voice with his eyes - check!
Moving arms and legs equally - check!
Social smile and laughing - check!
May be rolling over - nope, close but not yet. He does his mini push-up when on his belly, and rolls to his side when on his back, but he's not rolling yet.

I love our pediatrician sooo much! He's really funny and super set in his ways. He does things old school, and is not afraid to state his opinion. I have talked him more in the last month (about Holden) than I probably have in the last three years, we've developed a great rapport. He told me I could start Cash on cereal. I told him I am not opposed, we started Holden on cereal at 4 months, but asked why everything I had seen lately said to wait until 6 months before starting solids. He said, "Because they're wrong." and then gave me all of his reasoning. When I told him Cash has been drinking 36 ounces or more of formula a day (babies usually max out at 32 oz.), he said, "He's a little pig, as long as he's not uncomfortable I'm fine with it. The cereal will help."

Cash is sleeping well. He should be sleeping a consistent 9 hour sleep stretch, which he is. The night before our visit (4/1) he slept his longest sleep stretch ever. He slept from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. - over 10 hours. By six months old he should be sleeping 10 and a half hours consistently.

Cash weighed 16 lbs. 9 oz. and was in the 80th %ile. He was 26 inches long and in the 85th %ile. His head circumference was 40.5 cm, 20th %ile. Quite different from his big brother at this age. Holden only weighed 14.5 lbs and was 25.5 inches tall. I guess that explains why Cash has grown out of most of Holden's baby clothes.

He received 5 immunizations: DaPT, HIB, Prevnar, Polio, and Rotateq (oral). He really did not like them, but luckily they were over quickly.

From now until our 6 month visit we'll be looking for Cash to meet the following developmental milestones:

Reaching well for objects
Rolling over
May start to sit with some support
He will think it's funny when we play peek-a-boo
Will start to look for objects out of sight (object permanence)

Sleeping soundly after his doctor visit.

San Diego Zoo

2009-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 30th we decided to take the boys to the zoo. We had been holed up at home for a long time, and decided it was time to get out and do something. It was a beautiful day and the zoo sounded perfect. We arrived at around 9:00 am, and while we were waiting in line two very sweet ladies came up and gave us two free guest passes. We only had to pay for Holden's admission!

We walked around and saw the animals. Trey had to navigate, I got lost at every turn. We discovered Holden is not much of a zoo person. He was just ehh about seeing the animals. He liked them but he wasn't thrilled. He more enjoyed swinging on the bars and jumping off all the rocks. Cash was a trooper in the stroller the whole time. He took a few cat naps and enjoyed the new sights and sounds. We were out of there by about 12:30 pm. I'm glad we went (and got in for the admission of one) because we decided to hold off on getting season passes. Holden is much more of a do-er, so we're thinking Legoland might be a better option for season passes.

Washing Rocks

2009-03-28T12:23:00.001-07:00

As if we didn't already know, Holden and Trey are eerily alike. The other day I went out to find Holden sitting in the backyard with a small bowl of water, a scrub brush, and a water bottle cut in half. When I asked him what he was doing, he matter-of-factly said, "Washing rocks." It reminded me of Trey scrubbing nuts and bolts in the garage and then lining them up in size order. One in the same these two, one in the same.

Holden Completes His Second Session of ISR

2009-03-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

I am sooooo glad we did a refresher course of ISR for Holden this spring. He seemed to "get it" more quickly this time. He had quiet floats from the beginning, and Annette was able to get rid of his head popping up. He still tries to push his swim at times, but for the most part he did great. The last day of the session Trey got in the water with Holden. We are really glad he did, as Holden swam differently with Trey than he did with Annette alone. When he's with his dad he charges it - swims way too long and doesn't take long enough restful floats. It was great for Trey to receive tips on how to encourage proper technique. We LOVE Miss Annette and can't wait to see her again when Cash swims with her in June!

Dinner with Papa & Nana

2009-03-28T11:27:00.001-07:00

Papa Gene and Nana Nancy came over for dinner on March 5th. We had a great time catching up with them. Holden showed off his puzzle working skills, and then his ability to chew carne asada for longer than any of us wanted to see. This trying new foods thing is not always easy or fun to watch. We loved our time with Papa and Nana and can't wait for their next trip home.

Cash Jones' Update

2009-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

The second kid is so screwed on blog updates. Sorry Cash. This was supposed to be a three month update, but since he'll be 4 months next week this will be a right now (16 week) update.

Cash started laughing the week of February 23rd. He loves being around people and has started to "talk" back us. He'll coo and blow bubbles. He giggles often. He is such a happy baby!

2/23/09 - 11.5 weeks old

A happy laugh

3 months old (3/4/09) -Talking

He was waking up twice a night about a month ago, but now only wakes up once sometime between 3 am and 5 am. He had his longest sleep stretch last night (3/26). He slept from 6:30 to 4:45 (10 hours!), had a quick bottle and went back to sleep until 6:15. He's sort of falling into nap routine. He usually has a morning nap around 9 am, and has another around 1 pm. Sometimes he'll have a quick evening nap in the swing. But other times he'll skip it and we just put him down a little earlier. We still swaddle him. I've tried a few times to see if he'll sleep without the swaddle, but he wakes himself up. He's not ready to come out of it yet.

Within the last few weeks, he's become so much more alert and playful. He loves his aquarium bouncy seat, laying on the floor playing with toys, and occasionally sitting in the Bumbo seat playing with toys. He's grabbing for toys now, and he's close to rolling over. He is rolling onto his side from his back but hasn't completely been able to flip himself over yet. We just took down the Jumperoo today and Cash was totally intrigued. It was so cute seeing him it in.

Tummy Time!
Not loving it. ( 3/4/09)
A little bit happier with it. (3/21/09- 15 weeks old)
Aquarium bouncy seat. (3/6/09)
Sweet baby!

Sitting in the Bumbo. (3/25/09 - 16 weeks)
Likin' it.
Today, 3/27/09, 16 weeks old.
Playing with toys.
So happy!
The Jumperoo.

Cash is quite a little chunker. He is wearing 6 month old clothes and has grown out of most of the baby clothes we had for Holden. He's wearing clothes that Holden didn't wear until he was walking. I can't wait to take Cash to the doctor next week to see how he's measuring; I'm sure he'll be at the top of the charts.

Brothers! (3/13/09 - 14 weeks old)

Holden Turns Three

2009-03-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Holden's third birthday here at home with our little family. He requested a pizza for dinner. All of our neighbors were out in the street playing when we got home with the pizza. In his excitement he shouted, "We got a pizza, a Birthday Pizza!" He blew out THREE candles on his birthday cupcake, opened presents, and then went to bed. Pretty uneventful really, but he was thrilled nontheless. He received lots of wonderful gifts: a tech deck skateboard, a Little Einsteins puzzle, a GeoTrax zoo track to add to his other Geo Trax train stuff, a Silly to Calm yoga video, and a T-ball set. The next morning he played with each of them and they pretty much kept him entertained all day.

About a day or two after his birthday he announced, "I want to wear underwear." And that was that - he did. He's been using the potty for pee ever since. Amazingly easy! (Disclaimer: If you don't want to read about poop stop reading now.) Poop has been an ongoing issue with Holden for as long as I can remember. He's had experiences with hard, hurting poops and then starting holding them in. After Cash was born, it got really bad. Out of control bad. I took him to the doctor in December and he was put on Miralax, a daily laxative and stool softener. We started with a half cap. He continued to hold. We went up to 3/4 of a cap. Still holding. I started giving him a full cap a day, the recommended dosage for adults. Somehow, Holden was still able to hold. He must have the strongest butt muscles in town! It's really quite a miraculous feat if you ask me. You can imagine the amount of pain he was in. Holding his poop in was starting to control his whole day. He was miserable and I felt helpless. We had periods where I let him wear diapers again because I thought he felt pressure from wearing underwear but the diapers didn't help. He still held. I called the doctor in tears last Friday (3/20), and was ready to take him to counseling, a behavioral psychologist, whatever it took. The doctor was already out of office, so I had to wait through the weekend. On Saturday, I started keeping a journal of Holden's daily struggle. I was horrified to see on paper that it literally started from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. He didn't even have 20 minutes of relief the whole day. I went to breakfast with one of my sweet friends, Michele Chavez, on Sunday morning. Holden was of course holding. Michele and I talked a lot about what to do. Toward the end of our outing, I asked he if I should just force him to sit on the potty. And in her sweet counseling way, she said, "I'm sorry but I think you have to." That was all I needed to hear. We had been doing potty practice for weeks - timed sits on the potty just to get him over his fear. When we got home I announced it was time for potty practice. He ran and hopped on the potty, but forgot to set the timer. I didn't remind him and we sat in there and played with toys. When he felt the urge to go, he tried to hop off. This time, I said, "Nope you're staying. We're not getting up until you get your poop out." He screamed and cried but I held him on the potty until he went. He went and we celebrated. I knew he felt so much better. He's been going poop on the potty ever since. Anytime he shows the holding behavior, I march him into the bathroom. The doctor called on Monday and I was happy to report that we had literally worked it out. He told me to throw away the diapers and continue to do what I was doing. That night Holden and I threw away the diapers. He is so much happier. It still takes some coaxing to get him to the potty sometimes, but he's easily persuaded with a treat and a sticker.
Holden has always been a finicky eater. When he turned three, he started to try new foods because (in his words) "he was big now". Since his birthday, he's eating ham, hot dogs, turkey kielbasa, cucumbers, and red bell peppers. A huge improvement from chicken dinos, grilled cheese and quesadillas. I guess more important than the foods he's added to his diet is his willingness to try.
Holden's sleep seems to be a little more stable. Although he doesn't nap every day anymore, he does "sleep until it's light outside" (one of our sleep rules). He seems well rested even on days he doesn't nap. Surprisingly, he'll even tell us when he's tired and ready to rest.

His energy level is still ultra high, but in a good way. He keeps himself busy and entertained. More than anything, he loves working with his dad in the garage. They've become pretty unseperable lately. They ride bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and work on things in the garage. Holden is also a very caring and good friend to his peers. He's happy to share, and is willing to play what others want. He's easy to get along with and has lots of "best friends".

At his three year old well check, he was 40 inches and in the 90-95th %ile for height and weighed 34 pounds, 75th %ile. He met all of his three year old milestones and received the rest of his immunizations.

Eagle's Nest

2009-03-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, February 21st we headed up to Eagle's Nest for a one night stay. The Sammis family, the Conley family, and the Felker girls joined us. We fished, rode the motorcycle, rode bikes, and snuggled in the cabin. We hadn't been in about six years; it was such a treat to be there with the kids. They had the best time! Houston also loved it. He swam, fished sticks and logs out of the lake, and chased the ducks. He was the happiest dog on Earth running wild and free. I think next time we'll stay for one more night, we just didn't have enough time.

Matchy-Match

2009-02-12T09:04:00.001-08:00

I can't tell you how much I love having two boys! One of my favorite things is seeing Cash in Holden's baby clothes. I'm sure this is only the beginning of matching photo sessions, be prepared folks....

Holden- 2 months 1 day old - April 25, 2006

Cash - 2 months, 3 days old - February 7, 2009

Cash - 2 Months Old

2009-02-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

The days have seemed long, yet these two months seem to have flown by. How is our little baby already 2 months old? We went to his well check on Wednesday, 2/4 and he checked out great. He weighed 12 pounds 5 ounces (70th %ile). He was 23 inches long (55th %ile), and his head circumference was 38 cm (15th %ile). He received four vaccinations. He's already measuring so differently than Holden was at this age. Holden was only in the 25%ile for weight at his 2 month check-up, and was always really tall. I love the little fat rolls on Cash's legs, it's such a new experience for us!

Cash Jones has a real social smile now. In the beginning he reserved his smiles for all the ceiling fans in the house, (Seriously, he loved the ceiling fans!) but now we get huge smiles when he sees us. He has found his hands and loves to suck on his balled up fists. He makes the cutest cooing noises now. Holden is thrilled - he yells, "He's talking!" I am also happy to report that Cash takes a pacifier when falling asleep. He won't suck on it any other time other than right before he falls asleep. It definitely helps soothe him, and makes me happy beyond belief.

Sleep has been a journey. He now sleeps in his crib all night with only two night wakings - sometime between 1:00 and 2:00 and the other between 4:00 and 5:00. He had a horrible habit of waking every hour from 3 to 6, but I just broke him of that. I had to let him cry a little in his crib. I would go in and offer the pacifier, but really just had to let him work it out. It only took one night. I'll be thrilled when he drops the middle of the night feeding. I don't really think he needs it so that may be our next thing to tackle. I couldn't be happier with how quickly he established an easy bedtime. I can put him in his crib with a pacifier right at 7:00 and he falls asleep all on his own. It's the easiest thing ever. Falling asleep on his own happened kind of on accident. He was swaddled in his crib while I was getting Holden dressed for bed. Cash started to cry. I was just about to go get him when Holden started having a major freak out - he didn't want those jammies, wanted different socks, you get the picture....Cash cried for about 5 minutes and then he fell asleep. The next night I put him in his crib asleep and started to give Holden a bath. Cash woke up and cried for few minutes and then fell back to sleep. Ever since all I have to do is put him in his crib and he falls asleep on his own. He doesn't even want to be rocked.

Cash is definitely not getting the ample amounts of tummy time, Gymboree play classes, daily photo sessions, and warm baths each night that his brother got; but I'm telling myself he's going to be very well adjusted because of it. He really is a good baby. Things are definitely looking up since he's now completely formula fed. He eats between 4 and 5 ounces every 3 hours. He's quite the chunky little guy, and is quickly growing out of his 0-3 month clothing.

Holden loves his baby brother so much, and he often says those exact words, "I love my baby brother sooo much!" He wants Cash with us all the time. Holden has started "reading" books to Cash at bedtime. Today (2/12) as Cash was laying on his play mat Holden threw his half eaten apple at Cash's hand. After a time-out I asked him if why he threw an apple at Cash. He said, "I didn't want to break him." I said, "Well why did you throw it then?" He said, "I just wanted to play with him." We, again, had to go over the way Cash can play. We can sit and talk to him or show him toys, but he can't catch things yet.

These pictures were taken about a week apart. The ones in the white onesie were taken on January 31st. The ones in the blue striped shirt were taken on February 7th, and the last one was taken February 11th. Can you see him growing right before your eyes? I swear he gets bigger every day.

Visalia

2009-02-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

The boys and I made a trip to Visalia on Saturday, 1/31. We picked up my sister, Jill, on the way. It was really great to catch up with her - we haven't seen each other for a long time. It made the 5+ hours in the car fly by. We stopped in Bakersfield to see Amanda, Caleb, and JR on the way too. Once we were at my parent's house all hell broke loose. One of my boys were crying or in crisis at any given moment. Neither slept very well, which made me one crabby exhausted mama. On Sunday, Holden fell while riding his scooter and cut his face. I thought he needed stitches at first glance but it turned out to be pretty superficial. Thank God for my mom and sister - they helped soooo much and I could not have made it through without them. We left on Monday morning, and did the same stops on the way. We stopped to see Amanda and Caleb, and then stopped again to drop Jill off. We made it home by Monday evening around 5 pm. I love going to visit my family, and I'm coming to terms with traveling just not being easy for the next couple of years.

Holden and Papa Jim making "bugs" (fishing lures).
And then enjoyed pizza while watching Handy Manny.

Aunt Jill has always been the master at getting my boys to smile.

Speech

2009-01-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

Holden has become so much more articulate with his talking. He's very specific, and has started including a lot of details in his stories. "Daddy and I went to get a coffee and donut today. He share with me - not the coffee, just the donut. I really liked it." He also says cute quirky things that I think just can't be taught. Like today he asked Trey, "Why are you mad on this very beautiful day?" I ask him all the time,"Where did you learn that?" because I just can't believe some of things that he comes up with. He's now returning that question to me, "Where did you learn that Mommy?"

We read a big brother book for a couple of months leading up to Cash's birth. One page talked about how much babies cry, and it said babies cry to tell us something. I used to ask him all the time, "What do you think Cash is trying to tell us?" Up until very recently he would say, "I think he wants milk." or "I think he has a bubble (in his tummy)." Within the last couple of weeks, he's using Cash's crying as a platform to express what HE wants. "I think Cash is trying to tell us he wants to go to the park." or "I think Cash is trying to tell us we should watch a show." or "I think Cash is trying to tell us we should have a treat." Yes, yes, that's exactly what Cash is trying to tell us!

Some of his words and sayings are just a little off too, and I think it's adorable. My friend, Jenn, reminded me that we sometimes make it to adulthood with saying things wrong. I think most of these he'll outgrow, but I love them so much I'm going to keep a list. I'll have to update this post as I remember them because I know I won't be able to remember them all right now.
Word/Phrase = How Holden says it
On your mark, get set, go = On your market, set, go
Forget= Get for (although this is becoming less and less)
Training wheels = Turning wheels

A Happy Sleep Post

2009-01-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

So I managed one more night of Cash sleeping in his crib the whole night after the last time I posted. The night after that I asked Trey to please go get him and bring him to bed. I was a walking zombie for the two prior days. So I did that for two nights - brought him back to bed after his first waking which was usually around 11:30. Last night was the best. Cash went down at 8:00 and didn't wake up until 3:50. Almost 8 consecutive hours of sleep! I, of course, was up at all of his usual waking times and checked on him multiple times throughout the night. I hope we've turned a corner and our little guy will make a habit of this!

Last Night

2009-01-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Good news! Cash slept in own crib all night last night. One step in the right direction. The not so good news - he woke up a lot. Trey went out with his friends, which was great by me because I wanted to go to bed early. Here's what our night looked like:

Both boys in their own beds asleep by 7:30. Holden wasn't technically asleep but he was tucked in for the night.
I took a bath and was in bed by 8:00. I read until 8:30.
Cash woke up at 10:30. I nursed him and he went back in his crib quickly and easily.
Holden woke up with a nightmare at 11:45. I hadn't counted on him being up too! I layed with him for a minute and then went back to bed.
Cash woke up at 12:45. Nursed a little longer this time but was back in bed by 1:30 or so.
Cash woke up at 3:30. Nursed and back to crib.
Cash woke up at 4:30. I brought him back to bed with me. I was exhausted and knew he wasn't going to sleep. I nursed him in my bed and we fell asleep.
Holden woke up at 5:45, climbed in our bed, and begged me to go downstairs with him until I finally gave in at 6:30.

So, you can see - not a lot of sleep for this mama last night. Good thing I tucked in early. The only thing I can think to do differently is feed him formula for his last feeding so it stays with him a little longer. I am going to stick with it - I loved sleeping in my own bed without my arms falling asleep and my side aching from me trying to protect Cash in my bed. I'll keep you posted with our progress.

ATC 70 - It's Running

2009-01-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Trey finished getting the engine put back together. He and Holden are enjoying riding around the neighborhood. For the first couple of days, Trey drove it and let Holden ride in front of him. Next, he taught Holden how use the gas and brake while he steered. Then, he let Holden steer while he rode with him. Finally, Trey adjusted the throttle so it couldn't go much faster than those little electric quads and he let Holden drive all by himself. Trey would walk or jog along side him. I didn't get photos of Holden's first solo mission, but here are some photos of him riding independently on Day 2. Trey got smart and used Houston's leash to attach himself to the 70 so he wouldn't have to chase along side him. I think it also provided drag so he couldn't go as fast. Trey is so very proud of our little rider!

BOB Duallie

2009-01-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

We just got our double stroller, so the boys and I are enjoying daily walks. It really helps all of us to get out of the house everyday!

Mr. Puzzle Worker

2009-01-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

Holden has become quite the puzzle worker. I just bought him a box of 20 jigsaw puzzles (10 double sided) from Target in hopes of him keeping himself occupied while I'm with Cash - it worked! I get him started on one or two sides depending on how well he knows the puzzle, and then he can finish the rest. The construction puzzle he can completely work independently now - he loves that one. I'm proud of his focus and problem solving skills, he's really maturing.

Hullabaloo

2009-01-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

On Monday, 1/12 Michelle and I took the boys to a Hullabaloo "concert". Only one of the band members played because the other one has a "real" job. You never would have known someone was missing - he had a room full of toddlers captivated by his music. It was so much fun - we'll definitely be going again. Michelle and I took the boys to a park afterward - it was a great morning!

Cash - 6 weeks old

2009-01-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today (1/15), Cash is exactly 6 weeks old. We had his one month doctor's visit last week when he was 5 weeks old. He weighed 9 pounds 7.5 ounces (45th %ile) and was 21.25 inches long (75th %ile). His head circumference was 37 cm (25th %ile). He met all of his one month milestones and received his second dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine.

The first two weeks of his life were disillusioning. He nursed every 3 hours and slept like a dream until he was ready to eat again. In his third week, he was awake a little more, wanted to be held a little more, nursed a little more frequently, and had a fussy period in the evenings. In the last 3 weeks, all of those things increased even more to where now he needs to held all day to sleep, and he's nursing every hour sometimes.

I went to see a lactation consultant on Friday, 1/16, because I knew something was not right. The nursing around the clock happened with Holden too. My predictions were confirmed. He is getting about 2 ounces each feeding when he needs between 3 and 5 ounces. He was nursing every hour because that was the only way he could get his required milk. I've been giving him formula and continue to nurse him at night and the first feeding of the morning. I'm pumping during the day and giving him what milk I get. It's been very emotional for me because I really want to nurse him, but I think I have come to terms with doing what is right for him and for our family in general. Trey and Holden were definitely taking the brunt, and were not getting the best me. I'm happy to know what's going on. We have a plan now. The good news is Cash weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces when I weighed him. More weight usually equals more sleep.

Cash has been sleeping in bed with us up to this week, but lately I've been putting him to sleep in his co-sleeper which is next to our bed. He sleeps in there half of the night and in bed with us the other half. I'm sure now that he's getting full during the day, we'll be able to increase his sleeping time in his co-sleeper and decrease the night nursings.

Cash gave us his first social smile on Sunday, January 11th. He smiled three times on Monday, 1/12 and then didn't smile again until I gave him his first full bottle of formula on Friday, 1/16. He finished the bottle, and then looked up at me and gave me the biggest smile. Was that his way of saying, "Thanks, Mom!"?

I love having two boys, but I'm not going to lie - the last couple of weeks have been really hard. Holden still needs a lot of attention too, and I sometimes feel like I can't do it all. Nursing around the clock, holding Cash all day, and caring for Holden - it's been hard. I'm hoping to start establishing a little more of a routine. Cash is still a little young to have a regular routine, but I think having the feedings spaced out will help.

We do think he's a cutie. He looks a lot like his big brother did when he was this age, especially when sleeping. When he's awake he has a little bit of a different look, but I'm not sure how. Trey calls Cash Little Monkey and George (for Curious George). Both of those nicknames really irritate Holden. He protests, "He's not a monkey, he's a baby!" and "He's not George, he's Cash."

Cash has lived in the Moby Wrap for the last month.

Riding with No Training Wheels!

2009-01-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

On January 8th, Trey took Holden out to practice riding his big boy bike with no training wheels. Since Christmas, they had been practicing and Holden was doing well. Trey would let go for short amounts of time while running behind him, and Holden would ride for short distances independently before falling. Well, on this particular day, Holden was goofing off by being squirrely and silly on his bike. Trey thought, I'm just going to let him go. Let him fall and figure it out. To his surprise, Holden took off around the block, never falling. Trey had to RUN to keep up with him. They came in and got me and I went out to photograph the event. When Holden rode by me, he would yell,"Take a picture, Mom!" Trey still needs to help him get started, but once he's on he just goes! He's even learned to use the brakes to stop. Yes, our kid is not potty trained but he is riding a two-wheeled bike with no training wheels. Go figure!

Doug's Photo Shoot

2009-01-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Doug posted a beautiful slideshow of the boys' photo shoot on his website. Click here to view it.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve with our neighbors, Jill, Rob, Cole and Aidan. Jill made White Russians that she and Trey enjoyed while Rob and I had red wine. They boys played upstairs, and Cash, like usual was attached to me in the Moby Wrap. At 9:00, we turned on the tv and celebrated the East Coast New Year. We knew we'd all be asleep before actual New Year's hit. The boys had sooo much fun dressing up and using their noise makers. It was cute to watch.

Visitors

2009-01-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

Lori Grace came to visit and meet Cash on Monday, December 29th. Her girls stayed home because they were a little sick. We had the best couple of hours catching up that we didn't even take one photo. Thanks for visiting, Lori!

*********************

Anna, Waylon, Avalon, and Anna's mom Patty came to visit and meet Cash on Wednesday, January 31st. The boys played in the driveway with all the toys while we tried to chit-chat. The activity level was pretty high, so most of our conversations were fragmented. Anna made us a delicious lunch - panini's and tomato soup. They left just before nap time and my boy slept oh so good.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Holden was up early Christmas morning, and was eager to go downstairs. He was excited to see Santa heard his request for a falling bike and a falling scooter. He even got a new helmet! We had fun opening presents - the big hit was the Handy Manny truck/workshop he got from Nana Judy and Papa Jim. He played with it for over an hour that morning, and still has long play sessions with it to this day. Dad made us a delicious breakfast, and then he took Holden out to ride his new bike. Suprisingly, Holden caught on quickly and was riding for short distances by himself without Daddy holding on. Next we had to go to Children's Hospital to pick up an antibiotic eye oitment for Cash. He developed a goopey eye the night before and that was the only pharmacy open in all of San Diego on Christmas Day. Then we headed up to Tabi and Mike's house for dinner. We had a delicious turkey dinner and a great time catching up with the fam.

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

Having a new baby in the house made Christmas Eve very mellow for our family. We started the evening by decorating Christmas cookies for Santa. Following that we watched a few Christmas movies, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer I think. After dinner, Holden opened up new Christmas jammies and slippers. He loved them and immediately put right on his teddy bear slippers. Then we wrote Santa our note. Holden thanked him for coming to our house. He told him he wanted a "falling bike" (one with no training wheels) and a "falling scooter" (a two wheel scooter). He said he though Cash wanted "milk and toys". We set out milk and cookies for Santa, and apples and water for the Reindeer. Then we had to go fast to sleep so Santa would come.

JAMMIES
ALL DRESSED FOR BED

READY FOR SANTA

Cash - 2.5 Weeks

2008-12-29T07:53:00.000-08:00

Our little Cash is precious. I wanted to take pictures of him in this darling outfit his Aunt Jill got him. He's growing so fast I didn't know if it would still fit for a second wearing.

Aunt Kim

2008-12-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

Aunt Kim came down on Tuesday (12/16) evening to see Cash and bring gifts for the boys. She immediately fell in love with her newest nephew. Holden loved seeing her and especially loved the new Darth Vader helmet he got to open. (You can see his big bruised chin in the picture from where he just about put all of front teeth through his lip a couple of days before.)

Papa Gene Meets Cash

2008-12-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Papa Gene made a special trip home from PV to meet Cash. He came over for a visit on Monday, December 15th and Tuesday, December 16th. We loved seeing him! Cash looked so tiny in his arms.

Maternity Shots

2008-12-17T14:03:00.001-08:00

Around the middle of October I was asked to be a maternity model for a former students mom's photo workshop. I'm happy with how they turned out. Any opinions on which one to frame?

Cash's First Bath

2008-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Cash's cord fell off quickly, just a week after he was born, so he received his first bath at home on Friday, December 12th. He didn't love the experience, but didn't completely dislike it either. He enjoyed it much more when we had the warm washcloth draped over his little body. The worst part was when his daddy had to rip off a band-aid that had been stuck on his leg since the hospital. Luckily, it was over quickly and he soon found himself snuggled up in a warm towel.

We Love Nana Judy

2008-12-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Nana Judy came on Wednesday, December 3rd just in time for Cash's birth. Like usual, she was amazing in every way. She stayed with me in the hospital, made pancakes for the boys, played with Holden, baked cookies, did all my laundry, and comforted me during my hormone crash. We loved every minute of her visit and were sad to see her leave on Thursday, December 11th.

You may remember that she bought a book, Little Quack, for Holden and read it to him when he was days old. She did the same for Cash. Cash's book, Little Gorilla, is a sweet book, which shows that adults continue to love a child as he grows. These books will be special in our family forever. You should see Holden's copy of Little Quack - it's torn and tattered from the hundreds of readings, but well loved.

ATC 70

2008-12-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

With all the kids in our group of friends, Trey and Scott decided to restore the ATC 70 that has been passed around their group of friends since high school. They tore it apart, and had the parts powder coated, painted, and rechromed. They replaced many parts. While Trey has been home with me and the boys he has been working on putting it back together. It started out in parts all over our garage. Holden enjoyed helping his dad work on the motorcycle. Trey had the body together by Wedensday, December 10th, and Holden went for his first spin. The engine is still not together so Trey pushed him up and down the street. Holden loved every minute of it.

Milk

2008-12-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

Holden is getting used to the fact that Cash is here to stay. He asks to hold him everyday and likes to kiss the top of his head. Any time Cash makes a little squeak, Holden will ask, "What is he saying?" If I say I don't know, he'll answer himself. "I think he's saying he wants milk. From your boob." I tell him he's probably right.

He's really trying to get a handle on this nursing thing. He raised his shirt the other night, looked at his flat little boobs and said, " I can't feed him - mine are too small. But you can feed him - yours are big. Yeah, mine are too small." We processed the whole nursing thing together for a few minutes. Seeing him standing there with his shirt pulled up trying to figure it out was so cute I don't ever think I'll ever forget it as long as I live.