Baby Giraffe

I decided a few weeks ago that to save a little money this Halloween I would reuse Wyatt's first Halloween costume with Levi. Sure it would be a little big, but oh well right?

My mom made a great point, I could say that I was starting a tradition by dressing Levi as a giraffe for Halloween. And I loved it. So I'm not trying to save money, I'm just starting a tradition of having a giraffe again for Halloween.

I was shocked when I first put Levi in his costume that it was big, but not as big as I had thought it would be. That is a scary thought for me because I was hoping Levi would fit into most of Wyatt's clothes, but that might not be the case! I guess time will tell.

One Whole Month

I am so glad we made it to the one month mark. Those first few weeks are so completely difficult because the routine is nonexistent, even though mommy and baby are in desperate need of a routine for sleep!

Plus going to that one month doctor's appointment tends to really help with any anxiety about if you are doing a good job to help your new little baby grow well. I mean I wasn't crazy worried that Levi wasn't growing because I can see he is getting bigger, not mention he is flying through diapers like a champ. Still there is a little bit of relief that comes with that visit to the doctor when she says that your baby is growing perfectly and staying on target.

I am amazed at how well Levi is doing for only being one month old. He actually figured out how to hold his head up during belly time, and is dangerously close to rolling over already. The doctor thinks he might actually figure that major move out in the next few days!

Now that we are working on month number two, I have to work extra hard to make sure Wyatt's routine starts to come together again. He needs to get out of the house more - hopefully we can make it to the gym on a regular basis again. Plus he needs more structure play and learning times during the day - no more cheater craft times! I am hoping that by the end of month two there will be so much more to say about how far Wyatt has come, since we are going to focus on making sure he has more structured playtime with mommy, daddy and other kids.

New game

I knew the day would happen, I just have to admit I was little surprised by the distraction that caused it. I have been trying to include Wyatt in cooking dinner for months now, I am sure I have mentioned that in at least one previous post. I knew that one day I would start to make dinner with his help and he would be bored by it and do something else.

He decided the other day that inventing a new game was much more entertaining than helping mommy cook. He used his spatula to whack a ball around the house. Patrick said it is a mix between rugby and golf - I think it is just pure imagination!

I am glad he is so creative and playful, but I now have another game I have to monitor closely so that Wyatt doesn't end up whacking Levi during it. Oh well, so is the life of a mother of two little boys.

Cheaters craft

Not that this is a new activity for Wyatt, but in my tiredness, certain chores are not being completed as quickly as they used to. As a result Wyatt came across an empty paper towel roll that I left on the counter the other day. He wasted no time playing with it. He made sure daddy participated in the event. Then when he was done with daddy's help, he decided to teach Levi the finer points of paper towel roll play time. It was adorable - so what if the cleaning didn't end up getting done in order to capture this play time?

Nursing... Part two

We are quickly approaching the one month mark and I am happy to say we have, for the most part, figured out this nursing business. No more shield, no more major headaches as I worry that he is actually eating enough.

The only issues that we are still having are centered on the fact that Levi still cluster eats at least once during the day. This means that although he is close to a three hour schedule for eating, at some point he wants to eat once an hour for at least three hours straight. You can imagine that this makes mommy a little cranky and tired since he takes about 20 - 30 minutes to eat still...

But I have to say that I am extremely glad that we have figured out this whole nursing thing because I did not want to pump and bottle feed Levi like I had to do with Wyatt. That is a process I wouldn't wish on anyone! And for those mommies who find they can't actually nurse and pump in order to provide breastmilk for a year, you are strong mommies. I do know how difficult that process is.

Brothers Playtime

Wyatt showing Levi how to play with the penguin

I am very glad that Wyatt is interested in Levi. He wants to play with him all the time. Luckily he hasn't wanted to play catch or wrestling...

Wyatt loved showing Levi how to play on the play mat. He showed him the mirror and how the toys make noises. Wyatt has also gotten into showing Levi how to use the time on his belly to roll over and to crawl.

A lesson in rolling over

Wyatt has also taken an interest in educating Levi on where his eyes, mouth, head and toes are (among other body parts). He calls me over to show me where the baby is and then proceeds to go down the list of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, head, hair, fingers, hands, etc, etc. It is adorable. I am hoping to catch it on video one of these times...

Imaginary play time

Also Wyatt has spent many a diaper changing session (Levi's diaper changes that is) going through Levi's toy box to find different rattles and then shakes them in front of Levi. As much as I think it is cute I am a little worried that Wyatt will knock Levi right in the head. I guess there are worse things to worry over with two little boys right?

Sleep Anyone?

As you might guess, I have been asked a bunch recently how we are all doing now that we are a family of four. And to be honest, I think we all are handling it superbly. The only downside for every single one of us seems to be our level of sleep.

Mommy and Levi

I know that as the mommy I signed up for less sleep at night - I'm no dummy. But I guess Wyatt's desire to help with the baby, and not miss anything, has resulted in his refusal to take a nap easily. Now you might be thinking he's old enough not to need a nap, but for him, this is not true. He is so exhausted by 5:00 pm if he hasn't napped that he falls asleep in the strangest places. The other day he fell asleep on the edge of the couch, and then fell off as he drifted. It was not a fun experience for anyone, but it does illustrate how much my little monkey needs his nap. Besides with Patrick not getting home most days until almost 7:00 he tends to stay up until 9:00 to get in some daddy play time.

Levi has taken to sleeping like a champ during the day! Which means during the evening and nights he wants to be up. As a result Patrick has been staying up a little later than he would like so I can get a couple of hours of good sleep in after Wyatt goes to bed and before I have to be on feeding duty again.


resting instead of napping



So for right now, my new family of four is doing very well except for the sleep deprivation part. But hey what family always gets enough sleep anyhow?

Picking out Pumpkins

Picking out a pumpkin

Last year we had such a great time at Dussel Farm we decided to go again this year (check out last year's post) but this time it was completely different! Of course we had Levi, which meant our timetable was very limited, and it was almost a summer day out - last year it was freezing.

Since it was so nice we knew it would be busy, but we were surprised to see just how busy. Everyone was there it seemed the place was so packed. Of course that didn't slow down Wyatt one second. For me that was a new challenge because I had Levi which meant I was not as quick as usual when it came to following Wyatt.



Running the maze



Once he checked out every pumpkin he could touch Wyatt was very interested in the little kids maze. Last year it was one of his favorite parts, so I wasn't surprised when he wanted to run through the maze 10 times this year. The surprise was he was a little apprehensive when he had to pass the huge Halloween Tigger - last year none of the decorations phased him.

I tried to get a picture of him to show how tall he was, in order to catalog the event, but he wouldn't hold still. He wanted to pull his wagon full of pumpkins around. He was very helpful when it came to picking out some pumpkins and gourds though.



Heading to the car



After a fairly quick trip, I got both of the boys into the car while Patrick went and got a carmel apple for the trip home. And let me just say it was the best carmel apple I've had in a very long time. I think it is safe to say that a trip to Dussel Farm has become a Halloween tradition in our family!

Hale Farm

It is not often that we can enjoy summer weather in October, so we took full advantage of the beautiful weekend with a trip to Hale Farm. Talk about perfect timing, it was the Harvest Festival, which meant there were a ton of fun things for Wyatt to do on top seeing the old buildings. If you have never been to Hale Farm, check out their site - it's a great place to take kids of any ages to experience history firsthand.



in the hay



I remember going in grade school and girl scouts, and couldn't wait to see how Wyatt would react to the people dressed in period clothing and seeing the pottery makers, and glass blower and everything. My mom, having taken many kids there over the years (with teaching and being a girl scout leader) was eager to join us on our adventure. So while Patrick played football (funny story in itself) my parents and I took Wyatt and Levi to Hale Farm during the warmest weekend I can remember in October.

Running through the corn

The first thing we saw when we got there was a large hay pile - it was set up for the kids to play in. And Wyatt took full advantage of the opportunity. He threw the hay up in the air, he crawled over the stacks, and then he hid himself in the loose pieces. He was laughing and smiling the whole time! Sure other kids were interested and playing, but Wyatt was taking the play to a whole new level!

Turning the spinning wheel

Then we moved on to a small plot of corn stalks. Wyatt thoroughly enjoyed being able to run through the rows of tall corn stalks, hiding from my dad. Again giggles ran out through the dying vegetation. After about 30 minutes of hard play between the hay and corn Wyatt enjoyed a short break to drink some juice while Levi ate lunch.

Then I got Wyatt to explore the Hale mansion with me. It is quite an impressive house considering when it was built. He checked out the stairs and beds, but the most interesting was the spinning wheel. While the other kids enjoyed checking out the wool at different stages, Wyatt was enthralled by the large spinning wheel. He also enjoyed checking out the smaller houses close the church, but the gardens held his attention longer.

Checking on the chickens

I was amazed at how interested he was in the sheep and the cow, both in their own pastures. The sheep, being used to human contact, where laying right next to the fence and allowing the kids to pet them. When I asked Wyatt if he wanted to pet a sheep, he reply, "No mommy, sheep bite." Yet he stood near them and watched until I pointed out the chicken coop, which he had to explore as well.

My dad wanted to see the glassblower, so we trudged up the hill to the glassblower building just to find out that the furnace wasn't hot enough to see real glass blowing, just some glass flowers made. And still Wyatt was content to sit on a bench and watch the process from start to finish -  very impressive show of attention.



Watching the glassblower make flowers





Granted the visit only lasted about two hours all together but it was worth it to experience it with Wyatt. Hopefully we will able to stop by once a year and see what interests Wyatt the most each year. There was so much we didn't even go to see, so hopefully once Levi is older and Wyatt is older we will able to take more of it in. Maybe even we will catch the civil war reenactment one year...



Grandad Simmons

My mother's father was an amazing grandfather to me and my brother. We were his only two grandkids, and he spoiled us rotten. There wasn't anything he wouldn't get to make us happy, of course Nana helped with that job as well.

Grandad, my dad and me 1986

Grandad and Nana lived in Toledo, Ohio for most of my life - until I was about 13 actually, when they moved back to our area. In fact their house is the same house we now live in. Most of my memories however revolve around time spent in Toledo. My brother and I would get to spend weekends with Nana and Grandad, sometime both of us, sometimes just one of us, usually about once a month. Grandad was the one who drove, so if we were going to go somewhere it was always with Grandad. Every time I went we would make a movie run. I loved to watch movies and Grandad would let me rent as many as I wanted, even if it meant I would spend most of my visit in front of the TV. Many weekends I would bring a friend with me. One my favorite memories included my cousin Ashley. We rented "A League of Their Own" that time. We watched it later in the evening and between the two of us went through 3 bags of popcorn! I remember clearly Grandad joking to us that we were going to wake up as popcorn kernels after eating so much.


Grandad had a very corny sense of humor. He turned every little boo-boo into a joke in hopes of getting us to smile and laugh instead of crying. If we fell down he would yell at the floor for jumping up and tripping us. He was steady, always had a routine. Most mornings he would be gone when we woke because he was golfing with his buddies, but he was always back in time for lunch!

Grandad was a quiet influence in my life. Much of my knowledge of his personality came only in the last few years of his life. After losing all his kids, except for my mother, he gave faithfully to St. Jude's hospital in hopes that other families would not have to go through what his family endured. He had such a big heart for children.

Grandad and Nana 1984

While I was in college, (my fourth year) Grandad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's (maybe a little over a year) and my mom had moved Grandad and Nana to a retirement home in order to keep them safe. Grandad was showing a little bit of improvement, but we knew it was just a matter of time. We didn't realize just how little time there was. I clearly remember walking to a philosophy class on afternoon in the fall and getting a call from my mom. Grandad just got diagnosed with brain cancer, and the outlook did not look good. I felt numb. There wasn't much I could do, I went to class and learned nothing. I walked back to my car in a fog. I didn't want my grandfather to die, but was it a blessing that Alzheimer's wouldn't change him anymore in my memory? That question is still one I ponder when I think of Grandad. He didn't last long with the cancer. In a matter of a few days he was in hospice care and only last there a few more days. It was hard to watch him go, especially because him and Nana were so in love. Their love was the kind of love you read about in Nicholas Sparks books. As much as it hurt me to see my Grandad go, it was twice as painful to watch my Nana see him go.

To my Grandad, (July 4, 1928 - Oct 17, 2006) I will always think fondly of you when I am watching my little boys play and giggle because you so enjoyed watching me and Jordan play and giggle. When they get little bumps and bruises I will yell at the ground for tripping them in hopes of keeping their smile going. And when I get a letter in the mail from St. Jude's hospital asking for money for their children's medicine research I will give what I can in honor of you, because like you did for so many years, finding cures for kids so they can play, giggle and smile is an amazing gift.

USS Cod

Wyatt and Patrick walking toward the conning tower
 on the deck of the Cod in downtown Cleveland.

The day after Levi was born my parents came into town. We really wanted to emphasize that Wyatt had a good time every minute we could spend with him while Marissa was in the hospital still with  Levi so I made a point in doing lots of extra-special things with Wyatt.
 My father was a submariner in the Navy from the time I was born until I was 6 years old so I remember going aboard at least one of the boats he was assigned to and how much fun it was. Being so close to Cleveland and the historically-accurate USS Cod, a World War II Gato Class fleet submarine, I decided that Wyatt should enjoy it too. My father agreed to go with us and we made a Guy's Day out of it. 

Wyatt entering the boat
through the torpedo loading hatch.

Wyatt very much enjoyed going on his first boat, even if it was tied up and stationary. He sprinted up the gangway onto the deck of the submarine and immediately started inspecting it. The first thing he saw was the 5" deck gun aft of the conning tower. He immediately climbed up into one of the gunner's seats and started playing with the crank wheels which controlled the gun's elevation. He then checked out the other side and played with the wheels which controlled the gun's bearing relative to the boat. He also discovered that each seat came equipped with fixed binoculars for him to see what he was aiming at. If there was a breech block and a live shell loaded, I'm certain that he would've been shelling Burke Lakefront Airport in a matter of minutes.

I finally was able to convince him to walk up to the forward torpedo loading hatch which serves as the Cod's entrance. I climbed down first so Wyatt could see how it was done and Wyatt went to follow but was apprehensive about climbing down something he had never climbed up before. My dad helped Wyatt reach out for me so he wouldn't fall and I carried him down the ladder into the forward torpedo room. Wyatt's curiosity took over again and he immediately set to exploring this strange new place. While my dad and I took our time looking around and talking with other's on board, Wyatt tried to find everything he could to play and explore in, around and under. Thankfully he never found the ladders to the boat's lower deck and battery compartments! All-in-all, the surroundings were older, but had the same feel as the submarines my Dad served on when I was a kid. Wyatt definitely took it all in and enjoyed exploring everything from the tiny kitchen and the crew's mess to the control room and the engine room. And the plus side is, that despite being 6'5" and my dad being 6'4", neither of us hit our heads on anything in the overhead be it a pipe or a valve and none of us banged up our shins on the bulkheads.

Wyatt had a great time and was talking about boats for the rest of the day.
~Patrick~

Monkey time



Craft time with Nana



I am glad to say that Wyatt and I have been able to find some time to do our regular activities, granted not as much as we used to, but some is better than none!

I am very grateful to my mom and Patrick's mom for taking the time to do some drawing and crafts with Wyatt while I was recovering with Levi in the hospital. Since Wyatt is so crazy active, craft times are one of the few times he will focus his attention and sit still, which I think is important in small doses at his age. 

Wyatt's monkey



We did get a craft in on our first few days as a family of four. And I am super proud of it! Wyatt made a little monkey. And he did a great job. He told me which pieces were the hands and feet and tail. He was very into it. He always loves putting on the wiggle eyes.  I make them more fun by gluing an old magnet on the back (you know those advertising magnets everyone sends that you throw away?). Now he can display his drawings with his monkey and frog magnets.

I just need to get the energy to figure out a craft for next week now... I wanted to have Wyatt do a fingerprint tree, I hope I can find the time to do it, because it will be so totally cute!



Art time with Oma



First Bath...

All clean

This might come as a surprise, but Patrick and I never had to give Wyatt a sponge bath because he was at the hospital for so long. So our first sponge bath was with Levi this past week, and it was a fun experience for us all. Although the details are boring I'm sure, I am glad to say that we all did a great job and there were barely any tears, from any of us!  I must say that is quite an accomplishment considering there was a naked baby and an emotional new mommy together.