Graduation

Well, the big day has come and gone. Jason is officially...

A DOCTOR!!!!

He was lucky to have some really great friends who supported him along the way.
That's right DR. GUNDERSEN. There'll be no living with him after this.
He'd just better not forget who else was there for him over the last 4 years.
BESIDES these goofy guys.
They are ALL doctors now. Watch out!
Awwwwww... He's so handsome!
Ya, I kinda like 'im
This guy does to. Though I'm not sure how keen he is on this weirdo hat.

We were so glad that Jason's parents were able to make it to graduation. They stopped here on their way home from Norway. Perfect timing!

I'm not sure I would have made it through graduation without them.
Here's the big moment!
That's right.... He made it! He's a doctor.
We're so proud. (Even the really sad one in my arms is actually very happy)
Ahhhh, binky's make everything better. Now how do we slow down a crazy 2 yr old long enough for a picture?
CONGRATULATIONS JASON! We're so proud of you!

(p.s. sorry for all the caps and exclamation points, I just couldn't stop myself!!!!!!!!!!! lol)

What Kyle's been up to

Well, to be honest.... He mostly sleeps. But he's pretty darn cute when he's sleeping right?

Though now he also laughs. It's be cutest thing in the world and I realize that no amount of blogging about it will do it justice so I'll just leave it at that. And I'll share these few pictures of those rare gigglish moments.

His favorite thing in the world is to have his hair washed. Yesterday he was so excited it seemed like his laughter started at his toes and just exploded. It made my day... especially since it was mother's day.
Here's that whole sleeping thing again. The beauty of the 2nd child is that they have this uncanny ability to sleep amid chaos. What you don't see in this picture is his 2 year old big brother running circles squealing and laughing as he attacked the rest of us with a balloon. How Kyle managed to sleep through it is beyond me. But I think it was pretty fantastic.

What's Zach Up to?

I realized this morning that I've really let my blogging slide. There's been SO much going on that it's just been the last thing on my mind. The thing is... There is SO much going on that I should be blogging. So here's some snipits of what Zach's been up to as of late.

I've been conciously trying to create Zach time lately so that he wouldn't feel so bad that Kyle gets so much of the attention that was once his. I think it has actually really worked to keep him from acting up. Whenever I get Kyle down for a nap (which hasn't really gotten regular yet, but hopefully it will soon) if it's NOT Zach's nap time we have Zach time.

One day we made Rice Crispy treats. I believe this actually is what lead to the Rice Crispy disaster I posted about earlier. Zach LOVED the stirring. He sang the Bate-Bate Chocolate song from Dora as he mixed the marshmallows and butter.

Some friends of ours gave us a wagon and Zach has really enjoyed filling his buckets with rocks and then toting them around the yard.
We had some friends over to play outside on one of our nice weather days before the rain came. (BLAH!) The boys actually got along great! Some days they tend more towards "frienemies" but this was a great play date.
They even shared the car!
Zach is very helpful with Kyle. Whenever Kyle cries he shouts. "Uh OH! Kyle Binky!" And then goes on a search. When I took this picture, Zach had informed me that he was "helping" and I turned to find him shoving the binky in his mouth. The funny part was that Kyle seemed to be enjoying it and was grinning from ear to ear.
Here's Zach imitating ME! How embarrasing. I guess imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery. Right?
We found these boxes that fit perfectly under our coffee table so I labled one for blocks and one for trains. I guess I should have gotten a third to label "ZACH!".

P.S. he did this entirely on his own, no help or encouragement from either parental unit. What a HAM!

Guess What....

I have a toddler.

I guess this is just one of those moments that you act stern, put the child in time out, Hide in the other room while you giggle quietly to yourself while cheering for his independence and grabbing your camera before having a talk with him about asking mommy for help. I love that kid!

Zach's new puzzle

For Easter Zach got this giant puzzle and he is pretty thrilled with it.

As you can see!

Jason found it online for a super deal- $6 for the puzzle and a big toddler eye spy book. Zach is actually getting pretty good at assembling the puzzle with very little direction. He's also becoming quite a ham when the camera comes out.

Other Zach-isms

He's started adding syllables to words some of my favorites are

*Wo-wo-wo-wo (yellow)

* Ba-na-na-na-na

and my favorite

*Doh-guh-di-dit (yogurt)

He is also VERY polite as he is ALWAYS saying

*Dat-do (Thank you)

*Danks Mommy (or Daddy)

and even

*No Danks (said very ironically grumpy)

Basically whatever you say he will repeat (sometimes much to my dismay).

I will try to start keeping track of some fun stuff like this to record here, maybe for your enjoyment... but mostly so I have it recorded somewhere.

Grocery Shopping

Saturday I took BOTH boys shopping... BY MYSELF! It was the first time I have attempted such a feat. Jason was using a rug doctor to clean our carpets before our BIG open house on Sunday (more on that later) so we had to get out of the house. I had a couple of other errands to run and thankfully both boys were being perfect angels. Surprisingly cooperative... until nap time started to approach. Thankfully I made it through 2 retail stores and most of the grocery shopping before Zach really decided he was done, but THIS was the result.

It looks worse than it really was. I promise. He didn't have a meltdown or anything. We were actually in the checkout lane so I was a little frazzled trying to track down my wallet AND unload the cart AND keep Kyle happy AND corral this munchkin. It was way past naptime and Zach was very restless and VERY busy. Our trip culminated in Zach actually throwing his shoe at my HEAD! At which point he was put in a makeshift checkout lane "timeout" leading to his sprawling out on the oh so clean floor... ewww. I guess there's worse things. I think they probably thought I was a bit strange for pulling out my camera amidst everything but I thought it was something I would like to look back on. I'm sure there will be many more eventful shopping trips to come.

4 weeks

Sorry this is late Grandparents! I did take the picture on time, I just wasn't able to get it posted until today.

I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already!! The strange thing is that I feel like Kyle seems so much older every day that goes by. He smiles more. His facial expressions are becoming, well... more Expressive. His nap times seem to be a bit more regular, though he is still the MOST awake between the hours of 8pm and midnight. Sunday was his first day to go to church, this is actually a picture of his Sunday outfit. I know, it's not technically a church shirt but all I had was sweaters and it was pretty toasty here on Sunday so we went for more of a casual look.

I found a HUGE difference between the boys this week. Kyle can self soothe!!!! Hooray! When he is tired he will grumble for a minute and then Zonk out. FANTASTIC! At this age I had to breastfeed Zach to sleep and it was pretty rough. Kyle is the exact opposite. During dinner last night he started to get fussy in his bouncer but before I could get to him (his older brother was requiring my attention a bit more at the moment) he had fallen asleep.

I am pretty thrilled about it. Heavenly father must have known we were going to be having some chaos at our house so he sent us a really easy going baby. I'm so thankful... you have NO idea.

Zach wearing Dad's Shoes, and Kyle

Brothers

I had posted earlier about the cute matching tie shirts I made when I was nesting. Well, I gave them to the boys for easter and they were SO cute. Zach was thrilled about his. Kyle... not so much.

Comparison

I've been trying not to compare my boys too much. I don't want to get into who did what when and whatnot. (wow, that's a lot of w's) But I think when it comes right down to it, you can't help but wonder about their similarities and differences. So, for those of you wondering if they look anything alike... here's a refresher for you.

Zach January 13, 2008

8lbs

Kyle March 13, 2010

8lbs 12oz
Similar? Different? You be the judge. I change my mind every day.

As for mannerisms, I have determined that they are totally different! Though I realize that time and perspective could be major contributing factors to my opinion there. I was nervous that, after having a baby as calm and laid back as Zack was, I would have to pay by having a real troublemaker. I'm happy to say that I was wrong on that one. Kyle is just as easygoing (though we do have our moments) While Kyle is fascinated with the fish that circle his swing, he doesn't quite focus in on them like Zach did. He doesn't seem to have the eternal attention span of his brother. At least not yet though. Kyle is often content to just sit somewhere... anywhere... bed, bouncer, swing, as long as there's something going on that he can watch he is happy to just sit. I've found that if I rotate him around to different sitting areas periodically, I can keep him fairly well entertained. Zach, on the other hand, seemed to prefer to be held. He wanted to be a part of the action, moving with me wherever I went. I guess this is one of those merciful differences that I am REALLY thankful for as it makes it possible to manage having 2 kids.

Physically they may look similar but their stats are quite different. As you saw before, Kyle was a whopping 12oz heavier than Zach but Zach had a HUGE head in comparison with his body. His head circumference was in the 95% while his birth weight was only the 50% (if I remember right). Kyle, on the other hand has an average head, 50%. Hopefully, that will help him walk a bit earlier since he won't be so top heavy. Instead of a huge head, Kyle keeps his weight around his belly. He's a bit of a pot belly kid. Zach had stubby toes/toenails and Kyle's toes almost look like fingers they are so long! I also think that Kyle has a bit more of a round face and MUCH less hair than Zach had. For those of you who have commented on Kyle having a lot of hair. You must not remember the MOP of hair Zach had on his head. LOL!

It's going to be fun as they get older to see how they turn out. How alike they will look. How they act. How they interact with each other. I'm sure they will be best buds and I'm so excited to see that friendship grow as they do.

3 weeks

It's crazy to think that Kyle is already 3 weeks old. He still thinks his favorite time of day is between 8pm and midnight but I think he's starting to catch on since he seems to be a bit sleepy-er (read- fussy). Hopefully that will translate to sleep soon.

I don't really have any fun anecdotes this week since really we are still in eat drink sleep mode. He's cute, we like him. There's not much more to tell.

Eggs!

Counting Eggs

The eggs took a spill, but that gave Zach the perfect excuse to count his booty.

Egg Hunting

Trampoline-ball

Twinkle Twinkle

Zach has actually started singing himself to sleep with Twinkle Twinkle. I haven't been able to get it on video yet, this is the best one I have so far. He usually really sings it out. I love his little hand motions though, especially the diamond that he focuses so hard on creating with his fingers.

Just double click the video to see the whole screen- I'll figure out You Tube one of these days. Just not today.

Sword Fight

Double click the video for the full version- for some reason the whole screen doesn't show here sometimes. Sorry!

Sunny Day

We got some sun today, not so much warmth, but at least we got some sun. So we went out to play. Zach and I have created a game where he tries to kick the ball off the trampoline and I run around it trying to catch the ball before it hits the ground. Granted, this is not a recommended activity for 2 weeks after giving birth but I gave it my best shot... and Zach totally creamed me... and I'm going to remain sitting for the rest of the evening. I keep forgetting that I'm not QUITE up to 100% yet. Ooops!

He sure had fun though and I was glad to be able to spend some one on one time with him while the wee one was sleeping.
Now I just need to find a good chiropractor.

P.S. Yesterday I put on my pre-pregnancy pants... and they FIT! (for the most part) Hooray! They aren't quite as cute on me as they were last time I wore them but it's still very promising. Ahhh... REAL pants, with a REAL waistband. Holding my breath to button my pants never felt so good. LOL!

2 weeks

Well, I guess this is a bit late. More like 2 weeks and 2 days.

We had a check up from the doc today. Kyle is 9 lbs 3 oz and 75% across the board.
He's a really laid back kid! Though his sleep schedule is a bit screwy. His favorite time of day, when he is most alert, just happens to be between the hours of 8pm and 1am. He's so darn cute that it's hard to be irritated but lets just say I'm NOT a fan.

WE MATCHED!

I guess this is kinda old news but I figured I ought to post it anyway for anyone who hasn't heard yet. We are officially moving to Springfield Illinois where Jason will begin his Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency. Pretty darn exciting... actually, more terrifying. In a few short months we will be packing up and moving ourselves, our two children (one very very small one) and a whole lot of stuff to another state.

Mostly we are nervous about selling our house. SO, you might notice in a lot of my recent pictures and upcoming posts as well, our house is full of bins for packing away all but the essentials and my kitchen has been torn apart. Jason is re-drywalling and adding new baseboards and crown molding so that it's a little more attractive to potential buyers. Sad that it took us moving to finally fix up the kitchen... I won't get to enjoy it!

Anyway, wish us luck! This is going to be a HUGE adventure.

Choice moments from the week

Muck was hungry too:

Daddy has BIG shoes to fill:
Slave labor:
Let me in!

Loving big brother

Maybe I'll save this to show Zach when he's older and complaining about his pesky little brother.

p.s. Susan had to go home yesterday (many tears were shed) but at least she left her mark by polishing Zach's fingers pink. LOL!

1 week old

Baby Zach?

So far, Zach has really enjoyed his little brother. He's been protective and attentive and very affectionate. (more pics to come) Still, we have noticed a few changes as he attempts to adjust to this HUGE change in his life. He has decided that he wants to be wrapped and cuddled just like a baby. It's sure cute for now, I just hope it doesn't last too long.

(note, he is squinting his eyes closed as tight as he can)

He even took "his" binky to bed with him the other night. Even though he never took a binky as a baby.

Zach likes his brother