One Month Old!

Can you believe this little guy is one month old already?!?!? We can't!!!! In fact, I usually really look forward to blogging...but I've been putting off this post all day. Putting the fact that he's already a month old into words somehow makes it more real! I just know how quickly time goes as 1 month turns into 2 and then 10 and before I know it, Maverick will be the one turning 26 months old like his older brother! I would rather keep my cuddly little guy just that...little and cuddly.



We had our one month pediatrician appointment on Friday.

Weight - 10 lbs, 11 oz (75%)
Height - 23 inches (90%)

He is growing great and is doing just wonderful :)


Do you have to flash that thing in my face when I'm sleeping too?


When comparing Maverick to Mitchell as an infant, Jacob and I both agree that Maverick has been much easier. Overall he seems to be a bit less demanding, and it probably helps that we're a bit more experienced! Mitchell took multiple naps throughout the day, but none of them were much longer than 45 minutes each. Maverick takes less naps, but they are much longer - sometimes up to 3 hours! Mitchell demanded to eat every 2 hours and would nurse for at least 45 minutes; leaving me literally no time in between feedings! Although sometimes he likes to match his brother's 2 hour increments, he usually goes 3 hours between feedings. He is a MUCH more efficient eater too - usually finishing within 15 minutes! God was really looking out for me this time around...he knew I couldn't have an unsupervised 2 year old running around the house for 45 minutes! You'd be surprised what havoc Mitchell can wreak in 15 minutes!

Milestones
His little belly cord fell off.
Maverick is holding his own little head up; he's a strong cookie :)
He has begun to smile - we love it!
First chair picture
Started losing his cute dark hair :(

His little onesie says "I've earned my stripes."


Happy one month, little buddy. We already can't imagine our lives without you and can't WAIT to see your little personality start to emerge in the coming months. You are one special little dude :)

26 Months!

Happy 26 Months, Mitchell Ryan! :) My have we thrown LOTS of changes your way this past month! You've delt with them like a champ! You still get a little jealous of your brother at times, but are pretty loving to him most of the time. You enjoy showing him off when we're out and about "This is my baby brother" has exited your mouth on more than one occasion.

You continue to give your daddy and I a run for our money at times with your stubborn little ways, changing your mind at the drop of the hat and selectively choosing when you'd like to follow our directions. Just about the time we're ready to wring your little neck, you snap out of it and turn back into the loving little boy we know and love - it's amazing :) As you might've guessed, Mommy has a bit more patience for these antics than your Daddy. When he spends the months of May and June at home with both of you boys, I can only imagine the wars that you'll have! Don't tell Daddy I said this, but I'd put my money on you!

Current Favorites
1. Singing ANY songs - but particularly The Wheels on the Bus, ABC's, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Mary had a Little Lamb
2. Baseball - you constantly walk around with your ball, bat and glove
3. Crawling up on the kitchen counters to try and find things you know are off limits
4. Dora the Explorer TV show- you request to watch this morning, noon and night! I try to only give in once or twice a day, although it's tempting!
5. Playing "fast cars" on your train set, you could play for hours!

Dislikes
1. NAP TIME! It often takes me up to an hour to get you down - ugh! This is not an easy fete with Maverick around!
2. Sitting still to eat - You're eating is very unpredictable these days. You will barely touch some meals and devour others, even if it's the same food!
3. I dislike that I don't have enough arms to pick you up and carry you when we're out and about and you aren't cooperating to walk with me. With the carseat in one arm and typically my purse or diaper bag too, I beg desperately for you to hold onto my other hand and walk with me! But you are quite the explorer, stopping to slip and slide on ice patches in parking lots or jumping up and down the curbs, despite my efforts to nudge you indoors out of the cold. We always get there somehow, but are certainly on "Mitchell" time!
4. You dislike the fact that I can't hold you and feed your brother at the same time, often trying to somehow find room on my lap to nudge yourself into. You're getting a little better at this :)
5. We all dislike that we can't play outside yet. You know what they say about March...in like a lion, out like a lamb. Bring on the lamb!

We had to get some pictures in your first little matching shirts, courtesy of Gran. She's hoping you'll become an Oklahoma State Cowboy like herself. She probably just likes the idea of you living closer to her :)



And here he is...your little brother and his first chair picture. I'll blog more about his first month tomorrow!



We tried and tried to get a good picture of both boys together, but unfortunately once we got them to cooperate, our camera refused to snap - ugh! Poor little Maverick is just about to sneeze in this picture - but even that is kinda cute :)

Play date

Mitchell had some of his friends over for a playdate last night. (Mommy enjoyed getting to gab with their mommies too!)

He enjoyed getting to show off all of his toys, including some fishies on the computer.


Did you guys see this fishy?




Just ignore her guys, she takes pictures like crazy.




Both Mitchell and Maverick were worn out afterwards, so they enjoyed some rocking chair time with Mommy.

Trip to Fredonia

We made the trip to Fredonia today for my Great Uncle's funeral. It was a great celebration of life and a wonderful chance to introduce our new little guy to my family. My grandpa was especially excited to meet his new great-grandson.

Four Generations


Mitchell was very entertaining, as usual. He sang "The Wheels on the Bus" over and over and over and over...did I say over again? My Uncle Logan let him play on a REAL school bus before we left...he was in HEAVEN!

He likes to stop singing before the "horn" verse of the song and ask you "Does the bus have a horn?" After you answer "yes", he'll continue. What a funny guy :)

Both boys were VERY good on the trip :) In fact, they slept most of the car ride and were very well-behaved (for the most part) the rest of the day too!

Look whose smilin' :)

Say cheese, Maverick :)

I've seen little smiles peek through for over a week now, but the little guy was really flashing his gums this morning! I had high hopes that ONE of my boys would get my Dad's dimples, but it doesn't look to be the case. His smile is heart-melting nonetheless!

Photoshop fun

Why am I not catching up on sleep when I can? I am too addicted to pictures :)

Random pics

Just some random pictures so that Maverick can never claim I have more pictures of Mitchell than him :)

His "deer in the headlights" look! Thanks for the cute monkey outfit, Aunt Kel!



Helping Mommy with some laundry



My bestest buds, Taby and Dylan came over for another visit the other day to meet Baby Maverick. Dylan was a big fan of holding Maverick...and Maverick was happy to oblige for the most part. Mitchell was equally as excited to have playmate :)

My Mom's uncle passed away this week, so she made a trip back to Kansas for the service. She and Mitchell headed down to Fredonia for the visitation today and Maverick and I plan to make our first 2-hour road trip for the funeral tomorrow. I asked Mitchell if he would be a good boy for Grandma and he responded "Of course, I will." We'll see about that! As much as we love Mitchell, Maverick and I are enjoying a quiet afternoon at home without our little hurricane around :)

Three weeks already!

It's hard to believe that our littlest man is already 3 weeks old! He is growing bigger and bigger every day! Here he is in the cutest little dinosaur outfit, courtesy of Aunt Katy. :)



Mitchell is becoming more and more interested in Maverick. Here they are lounging with Daddy.



Jacob went to his annual Fraternity Founder's weekend celebration in Omaha this weekend, and just returned home today. The boys and I had our first solo time and things went really well. We're pretty much home-bound due to yet another snowstorm (where are you spring??!?!)

Jacob was a little worn out from the long-weekend, so he and Maverick curled up for a nice long Sunday afternoon nap....



...while Mitchell and I played :)

Mitchell Funnies....

1. Each night as Mitchell falls asleep, he requests that I tell him the 3 little pigs story. I always include a line where the Big Bad Wolf goes up to the door, knocks and says "I'm the Big Bad Wolf. Let me in." Well....last weekend Jacob's Step-Dad was quizzing Mitchell on his animal sounds.
Rick - "What does a pig say?"
Mitchell - "Oink, oink"
Rick - "What does a cow say?"
Mitchell - "Moo, moo"
Rick - "What does a wolf say?"
Mitchell - "Let me in."
Needless to say, I think Rick was a bit confused until I explained :)

2. My dad was over playing with Mitchell's train set and we pointed out a #2 on one of the trains. My dad childishly joked "I have to go #2." Mitchell responded "I have to go #8." Would love to see that....or maybe I wouldn't?!? :)

3. Between Christmas, his birthday and Maverick's arrival, Mitchell has been SPOILED with presents the last few months. Yesterday in the midst of playing, he approached me to ask me for a present. "I want a present." When I tried to explain that there weren't any presents to open, he further clarified by asking for "An orange present. In a box." Thanks for the clarification, Mitchell...but there still aren't any presents! :)

4. Today Mitchell asked Jacob what his favorite season is. Jacob responded "My favorite season is Spring." Jacob returned the question. Completely out of the blue, Mitchell answered "Kansas City Chiefs football season." Ha! Oh, he is destined to a lifetime of disappointment! :)

Little Brother

Well, little man...whether you like it or not, you'll always be coined the "little brother"..and here's your first onesie to prove it!



Maverick continues to be a charming little guy :) He is a good little eater...he probably knows he needs to get big enough to keep up with his big brother! He sleeps pretty well too..getting up every 3 or 4 hours at night to eat, but typically settling right back in his bassinet until the next round.

He is a pretty easy going guy for the most part! He has been a perfect little angel almost all day long lately, but like most babies, he seems to get the typical evening fussiness. Maverick and I are enjoying our last few quiet days at home together while Mitchell is still in daycare. I am really looking forward to having both boys home with me for the next few months, but know that will certainly come with its fair share of struggles! Let's just hope I'm up to the challenge! :)

Thanks for the cute little onesie, Aunt Kel :)

It's not even Easter yet...

...and we're already having jellybean meltdowns!

Mitchell DEMANDED to have jellybeans for dinner! I mean who wouldn't want candy for dinner, right?

After looking at this face, I caved and promised to give him 2 jellybeans when he finished his yogurt. A statement that brought about the below smile :)

I then asked him to show me how many fingers is "two"....maybe he thought I'd fall for it and give him five?


Here he is with one purple jelly bean in hand!

Yummy, yummy on the lips :)

We have been trying a new daycare with Mitchell for the last two weeks. We've been a little torn about whether we think we'll go back to our old daycare in July with both boys or this new one. I've been a little skeptical of the new one, but the price and location are much better!

Well....last night, as we were playing around the house Mitchell started saying something over and over that sounded a lot like "stinking butthole"...yes, you read that right. I asked Jacob to listen to him and tell me what he thought he was saying and yes, Jacob agreed that sure is what it sounded like. Jacob later asked Mitchell "Mitchell, tell me about something that stinks." Mitchell replied with the same choice words as above. Jacob asked him who taught him those words and Mitchell told him a name of a little boy in his new daycare. Oh, man...I knew these days would be here sometime, but I never thought so soon!!! I fully realize this could happen ANYWHERE and that the words could be much worse...but I think that might have been the nail in the coffin of the new daycare. Our old reliable daycare might be a little farther away and a bit more $$$, but its worth it to me to feel that much more confident in the level of care they'll be receiving.

No - I won't be posting a video of Mitchell making the above statement. In fact, I'm hoping he'll forget all about it :)

Picture-ific Weekend!

What can I say? We had a picture-ific weekend!

Aunt Kelli (my younger sister) came in town to meet her newest nephew!

Ugh! Don't forget about me, Aunt Kelli!



Hee, hee! Silly me! How could you forget this face? :)

Mitchell LOVES to try on big shoes...even if they are on the wrong feet!

Thanks for loaning your shoes for playtime, Aunt Kelli!

Welcome to the family (minus Darci), kiddo!

(Please excuse my straight out of the shower towel-dried hair.)

Jacob's Mom and Stepdad also made the weekend trip to spoil the newest addition and his Big Brother!

Complete with a Big Brother hat for Mitchell :)

And finally, just some cute pictures of our little heartbreaker!

....And his Daddy.