Polka dots...

Yesterday Bailey noticed the vast number of moles I have on my shoulder...he pointed and said "Mommy! Look at all these polka dots on here!" and then promptly stuck his finger in his mouth and while scrubbing my shoulder said "Don't worry, Mommy, I clean them off for you." Thanks, Buddy.

Time, where did you go?

Okay, first of all, a public apology to all of my friends that I've given a hard time to about waiting months between blogs (except you, Melanie because you go YEARS between blogs)...it's been two months since my last blog (that sounded a little A.A.ish but you get the picture).

Today, I took Bailey to the doctor for his three year checkup. First thing...3 YEARS?! How did THAT happen? Secondly, when we were waiting (which is what you do at the doctor's office), Bailey said to me "I'm being a very good monkey, huh Mommy?" Patience isn't exactly his middle name (wonder where he gets that?) but he was doing pretty darn good. When the lady finally came to get us (only to have us wait in the small exam room for another hour without the distraction of a fish tank or other kids), he said to her "No pokes today, okay Lady?" He wanted to get that clear right at the very beginning. I promised him he wouldn't get any shots but Mommy's word only goes so far.

He was weighed (27 lbs) and measured (35 inches) and ended up in the 3rd percentile for his weight (meaning out of 100 three-year-olds, 97 would be bigger than him) and he's in the 10th percentile for his height. In the words of his pediatrican "well, he's on the chart, he's just barely holding on to the very bottom of it." There are no concerns about his development, "he's an overachiever" (he gets that from me). :)

Our boys are growing up and getting cuter every day...Christmas is going to be a blast this year...we can't wait!

My name's Bailey Edward...

Everywhere we go, Bailey introduces himself to people. "Hi! My name's Bailey Edward!" Or when I come home from work, he runs to the door and says "Hi Mommy! It's Bailey Edward!" (and he'll also points out Lewis Patrick). Yesterday we went to Costco and when we were checking out, he said to the checker outer guy "My name's Bailey Edward!" and the guy says "I'm Peter." As we were leaving, Peter says "Bye, Bailey!" and Bailey says "Bye, Peterbilt!" Apparently his redneck roots run deep. :)

Old "U.S." Navy?

I went shopping at Old Navy the other day and bought some clothes for the family. Mark, Grandma and I got some new t-shirts, Bailey got some new socks and shirts and Lewis got some new socks. I probably bought a totally of twenty items. Now let me get to the point of this: not one thing I bought was made in the USA. Our clothes were made in the following countries: Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, India, Korea, China, Honduras, Guatemala, and Japan. What?

Thanks Dora!

Bailey is officially hooked on "Dora the Explorer"...LOVES that show. Here's a video I captured last night of him calling a dolphin from our living room. You can see the Sandy and Columbia Rivers from our house and thanks to Dora, he thinks dolphins live in every body of water. Watch until the end when he asks me to take his picture for the photo contest. Yes, a photo contest. Where does he come up with this stuff?

Happy Monday

Mommy: Bailey, come give me a kiss...I have to go to work now.

Bailey (almost 3) holds my face gently in his hands: You a stinky worm.

Mommy: ...

Summer update

Well, we went on the annual Andres family campout a couple weeks back...for the first time in 14 years, we got rained out! MAJOR bummer. I know all my faithful readers were anxiously awaiting whatever redneck stories might have transpired but sadly there really wasn't time for any good fodder. My sister-in-law took a great picture of Bailey learning out to pee in the woods...that's always a classic. Here are just a few recent pictures of the boys for your viewing pleasure!

Speechless...

Just now, Bailey was kicking in his chair and making a mess with his lunch...

Mommy: Bailey, STOP.

Bailey (2 1/2): I'm making you crazy, Mommy.

Workin' man...

Yesterday morning, Bailey was upstairs with Grandma when all of the sudden he comes down the stairs with an Igloo playmate cooler (why, oh why did Grandma have one in her bedroom, I have NO idea) and tells me:

"Gotta go, Mommy. I have work to do."

Swimming lessons!

We started swimming lessons with the boys this week. On the way home the other night we stopped at an intersection next to the car wash we sometimes use. Bailey points at it and says "washing machine!" Sorta.

"Ama's Juice"

Last night I was cooking dinner (yes, I do know how and yes, I do cook sometimes) and I had Bailey sitting up on the counter "helping" me. He looked over and saw a bottle of wine sitting on the counter and he said "that's Ama's juice...AMA! Need juice?" I couldn't help but laugh.

Money

This morning Bailey (2 1/2) was walking around with Grandma's old insurance card. He held it up and said to her "Ama, it's my money." and then proceeded to swipe it just like he sees Mommy do. :)

"Aventure"

Yesterday we took a family adventure (or "aventure" for those of you who speak two-year-old) to visit our dear, sweet friend Aunt Gabby where she works at a wildlife park called Northwest Trek. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive through some of the most beautiful land in the Northwest. Here are a few pictures from our day. Enjoy!

Bailey meets his very first caterpillar! By the way, he didn't kill it.

Bailey did really good with walking on his own but got tuckered out a few times and had to bum a ride from Daddy.

Lewis on the other hand, rode in the lap of luxury the whole day. :)

We saw bison (not buffalo, as Aunt Gabby is fond of correcting us), elk, caribou, black-tailed deer, moose, mountain goats, big horn sheep, raccoon, eagles, owls, wolves, cougars (or "big cat" as Bailey reported it), trumpeter swan, ducks, Canada geese and other things I'm sure I've forgotten on our tram ride through the park with Aunt Gabby as our trusty tram driver.

The tram tour was great...but alas, it was too much for a little one who had had enough aventure for one day!

A Day in the Life...

...today I had a meeting at the community college down the street so I just stopped at home really quick on my way in to the office in the afternoon. I knew it was naptime for everyone but I was here and wanted to stop in. When I came in the house, my first thought was "why does my house smell like poop?" I walked in the living room and Grandma wasn't down here so I went upstairs. I saw that our bedroom door was closed which meant Lewis was sleeping and then I turned and noticed that Bailey's door was open (not a good sign since he DEFINITELY should have been asleep). I saw his blankets in the hallway and him laying in his bed and I thought "oh no! He got sick!" I came into his room and saw Grandma kneeling on the floor scrubbing at the carpet. I asked if he had gotten sick and she said "no. He took his poopie diaper off." It doesn't matter how old you get, you'll NEVER forget that look and tone that your mom has that tells you "MAYDAY! MAYDAY! R-U-N!" Well, Grandma was ticked off in a major way. Bailey took one look at me and burst into tears "MOMMY! So happy to see you! Grandma spank." Ya think? And then he said "Mommy, get poop EVERYWHERE." Gross. Then I said "Gee. Look at the time! Gotta get to the office!"

This is a little video I took of him later in the day...right before this, he had wrinkled up his nose and said "NOSE!" and so I asked him what was wrong with his nose and he told me "GOT BOOGER IN NOSE, MOMMY." (btw, I'm using caps BECAUSE HE YELLS EVERYTHING THESE DAYS) I was trying to get him to say it again but he sniffed my foot instead...don't ask.

Two teeth!

Lewis got his second tooth today...the first one came in last Sunday. We had to lower his crib to the next notch last night (watch the video and you'll see why!). He's so strong and eager to keep up with Bailey!

Learning to hold his own!

You'd never guess by looking at Bailey and Lewis that they are 22 1/2 months apart in age. Some of the clothes they wear are the same size as each other. Lewis just turned 7 months last week but he's already learning what it takes to be the younger brother. :)

Articulation

Daddy: Bailey, what do you want for lunch?
Bailey (2 1/2): Hmmm...(taps his chin with his finger)...TACO!
Daddy: You want a taco, Bailey?
Bailey: Yes, Daddy!

Daddy thinks to himself that starting a whole big batch of tacos from scratch all for Bailey (who probably won't eat it anyway), is not a good plan so he improvises. He cuts up a hot dog and throws it in a tortilla (quesadilla style) with some cheese and ketchup and serves it up for Bailey.

Bailey: Thank you, Daddy, for this delicious taco!

I am truly worried about my two-year-old having a massive vocabulary. In case there was any uncertainty about him outsmarting me by the age of 5...

He's on the move

Lewis had his six-month check-up on Thursday...he weighed 19 lbs 7 oz and is 27 1/2 in long. He's in the 84-87 percentile (which means if he's in a group of 100 kids his age, he'll be taller and heavier than 84-87 of them). At 6 months and ever since, Bailey has been in the 10th percentile (if he was lucky!). Here's a little 2 minute video of Lewis figuring out how to make a break for it. The only time he really gets to work on his skills is when Bailey has gone to bed for the night! Lewis is definitely the night owl of the two. Lewis is working on getting his two bottom teeth in but he's still happy as can be. As I type, he's still rolling around on the floor trying to figure out how to scoot and saying "ma ma ma ma"! FINALLY, a kid who says "ma" first instead of "da". :)

Bedtime stalling 101

So tonight about a half an hour after I put Bailey to bed, I hear the loud "ffffwwwaaannnnggg!" that can only be the sound of the spring-loaded door stop...then fake crying. Finally, I go upstairs and this is how the conversation unfolds:

Mommy: Bailey, why are you crying?
Bailey (2 1/2): Put something in nose, Mommy.
Mommy: You put something in your nose?
Bailey: Yes. (He then proceeds to tip his head back and flare his nostrils to give me the best view)
Mommy (turns on light and continues to look in said nostrils): What did you put in your nose?
Bailey (thinks long and hard): Put piece of salad in nose, Mommy.
Mommy: You put a piece of salad in your nose?
Bailey (nodding proudly at my ability to understand): Yes!
Mommy: When?
Bailey (thinking): hmmm...
Mommy: At lunch time?
Bailey (again smiling proudly): Yes! (proceeds to sneeze three times in a row)
Mommy: Well, I don't see any salad coming out so I think you're okay.
Bailey: Okay, 'night Mommy.

I tucked him in, said goodnight and came downstairs and relayed the conversation to Grandma and Daddy. Grandma (who was with him all day) says "Well, he didn't even have salad for lunch today so I'm not sure where the piece of salad came from."

Creative little turkey...

Growing every day!

Here's a little video I took tonight...we've had a gorgeous couple of days here in Oregon! Lewis finally got to enjoy the outdoors (such is the plight of babies born in the winter in Oregon)...it's hard to believe that he's 5 1/2 months old already. I think time really does fly! Enjoy!

Bath time!

This was a couple of weeks ago when the boys had their first bath together. As you can see, Lewis has his usual "brace for impact" face on. :)

It's hard to believe that Lewis is 5 months old today. Holy buckets the time flies! We had their pictures taken today and they turned out pretty cute (big surprise!)...we can't wait to share them! They'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Oh my goodness they are so cute!

Here is a little video of the boys we took tonight...They are getting so big! Lewis is only a few inches shorter and a few pounds lighter than Bailey these days. Lewis *loves* his big brother...as you'll see in the video, Bailey can do just about anything to him and he just keeps on smiling! Enjoy! Oh, and by the way, Bailey got frustrated today and exclaimed "OH CRAP!" Whoops...gotta watch that language, Mommy. :)

4 months and growing stronger every day!

I took Lewis in for his four month checkup this last Thursday. He weighs 16 lbs 5 oz and is 26"...that's about how big Bailey was at 6 months! I have a feeling that at this rate, Lewis will lap him in no time. Lewis has already grown out of many 6-9 month clothes because he's so long. He sure loves his big brother though! Today Bailey walked over to stand next to Grandma while she was holding Lewis and said "Hi baby Lewis!" and then proceeded to give him a full face lick. Lewis just grinned from ear to ear.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

I've said dozens of times in the last two years how frightening it is how much Bailey is like me. He looks like me, acts like me and talks like me. Apparently, he got my patience too. Today we were heading to the Children's Museum via the Jack in the Box drive thru. I will say, they seemed to be taking a really long time but we were just waiting and chatting when all of the sudden from the backseat I hear Bailey yell "COME ON!! FRENCH FRIES!!" Okay. Give the boy some french fries already. What'dya gotta do, grow the potatoes? Oi.

Are you kidding me?

Tonight I may have discovered the reason Bailey hasn't sleep worth garbage lately:

Grandma: Boy, Bailey sure loves to eat coffee beans.
Mommy: What?! NO FREAKING WONDER HE DOESN'T SLEEP.
Grandma (laughing because she doesn't work the night shift): Well, it's not that often. Just once in a while.

OMG.

Toddler bed blog #2

This is how I found him last night. After I almost cracked him in the head with the door...

Toddler bed blog #1

So about a week ago, Bailey finally climbed (and fell) out of his crib for the first time. Don't worry, he's fine. We had gotten him a fire truck toddler bed from some friends about a month ago but we hadn't really committed to getting him to sleep in it. We set it up in his room and hoped that the novelty would eventually wear off and he would just decide to sleep in it. Yeah, right. Well, once he had figured out that he could get out of his crib (even if he had a bump on the head to go with it), I knew that the crib days were history. The other night, I went in to check on him before I went to bed and this is what I found:



If you notice, his diaper and pajamas are wrapped around one leg because he couldn't quite get out of them completely. When I found him, he was totally passed out...he didn't even stir when I turned him over (after running to get Grandma, Daddy and the camera) to put everything back on. I was just grateful that there was no poop involved. Whew! Dodged that bullet for another day!