Too sleepy to properly post...

We are back safe from Washington and haven't stopped to catch our breath yet - maybe we will this weekend. Anyhoo, here are a couple of kid pictures from our weekend get-away for the family. Stay tuned for my Puke-a-Pallooza 2007 entry - you won't want to miss it.

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This week I've had a high of 11 unique visitors! Two of those may be me, because I check the blog from our home and my work computer, and two more may be Eric because he just got a new computer, and I'm probably related to most people reading, but I really appreciate that folks are checking in a regular basis.

Firsts

Owen rolled over last night! He rolled from his back to his tummy.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

My current favorite Andrew picture

We were at the fair and the best time he had was climbing on and jumping off this rock.

Owen 4 months

Owen continues to be a delight. He is above all things a happy baby. One of Owen's teachers said that we struck gold twice with our kids because like Andrew, Owen is a sweet, sweet baby. We do feel so blessed.

He is talking a whole bunch and tonight he almost rolled over. I think within the next week or two he will be doing it.

Today he seemed kind of fussy in his bouncer so I put him in Andrew's walker for a change of scene and he loved it! He likes to be upright, and he spent alot of time trying to eat the toys attached to the tray. He can't sit up on his own yet, so he really likes that the walker seat helps support him.

He still has no interest in passies so we don't even try to give him one. He loves to suck on his fingers. He does manage to suck his thumb, but more often than not he's got his whole hand in his mouth.

He's been pretty healthy except for the ear infection. So far no signs of any allergies to penicillin, so that's a relief. He's still been waking up about once a night. I think I'll start cereal soon!

Andrew has been teaching Owen all about Thomas and yesterday Owen got a lesson in track construction and railway traffic.

Here's a typical scene with Eric and Owen:


On Friday Owen is going on his first plane ride and both the boys are going their first wedding. Look forward to some cool family pics!

Owen 4 Month Doctor Appointment

The Capron babies had a big day today. Owen had his 4 month appointment too. I think these boys are on the same trajectory. Here are his stats:

Weight: 16.8 lbs - 90%
Height: 27.0 in - 100%
Head circumference: 16.5 in - 50%

Owen had a lot of shots today and he didn't like it at all. The doctor diagnosed an ear infection. Just like with Andrew, we didn't have any idea an ear infection was brewing. Owen's behavior hadn't changed and he didn't have a fever, but I think the colds we had last week caused the ear infection. He's been prescribed a penicillin-based antibiotic. This worries me a little because Andrew is allergic to penicillin and although that allergy isn't necessarily genetic, I don't want Owen to experience the mega-rash that Andrew went through. Also, whenever Andrew had antibiotics he'd get a yeast infection, and these bothered him so much more than the ear infection. Makes me wonder if the cure is worse than the disease. Anyhoo, we'll keep a close eye on Owen in the next couple of days and just hope he doesn't have the sensitivies that Andrew has. His doctor said that Owen's gums are swollen and we should expect teeth soon!

Too much Finding Nemo?

Andrew sang "Happy Birthday" to Nemo last night.

Andrew 28 months

Its been a big month for Andrew, lots of new things, and some regressions too. Andrew went to his first movie at a movie theater. We saw Ratatouille - very cute movie. Andrew was great, he sat on Dad's lap the whole time and was very happy to watch the movie and eat popcorn. (Andrew had his own seat, but he didn't weigh enough to keep the seat-part from flipping up.)

Andrew has started to sing. It started with Happy Birthday last month, and now he sings Eensy Weensy Spider and Baa Baa Black Sheep (he'll sing Happy Birthday any old time too). He's known these songs for a long time and always wants us to sing them to him, but now he is finally starting to sing these songs by himself.

He's also starting to speak in complete sentences. Last night Andrew said, "I want mama to go downstairs." That is a complete sentence with a lot of words and most significantly, a perfect stranger would have understood it. He still says many words and phrases that only those fluent in Andrew-speak would understand.

Andrew continues to be a major Thomas the Tank Engine fan. We've resisted investing too much in the Thomas toys, but he has a nice collection of different sized Thomas trains he's received from family. Here he is in his happy place: watching Thomas on T.V. and playing with the trains.

His grandma Peters visited this month and brought some of Eric's old matchbox cars with her. There must be a section of the boy brain labeled "cars" because Andrew LOVES them. He likes to make them go forward, backward, hitch a ride with Thomas, he even took one for a dunk in his yogurt. He plays with them all of the time and usually takes one with him wherever he goes.

Andrew can share. Just a week or so ago, he let Owen borrow his bunny and blankie while Owen was napping. THIS IS HUGE! Bunny and blankie are Andrew's most prized possessions. I think this bodes very well for these two brothers. He also understands the concept of taking turns. Yesterday we were at his friend Charlotte's house and the two of them were able to share ONE hand-held bubble machine - with actual relinquishing of the toy to the other child - with no tears or other hysterics of wanting to do it "by myself". I was so proud! I have to say that when your child is being good it makes you feel like the best mom, but when your child is good at somebody else's house, it's just down right magical.

Andrew is also branching out socially. This month Andrew got his first kiss (well, first documented kiss, we have a feeling that he's been kissed before : ). This is Andrew and Mandy.

Andrew is fighting going to bed these days. I think he just doesn't want to miss out the cool grown-up action and go to bed. He now will cry when we put down for the night. And this is good old-fashioned tantrum crying - lots of tears, big runny nose, etc. Its surprising that he is having such a hard time because he used to be a champion I-can-sleep-anywhere-anytime kind of kid. I'm surprised also because he now goes to bed with so many things that its hardly torture to go to bed. He usually has bunny, blankie and the passie, but now he's added Thomas and a couple of matchbox cars to the "must have" bedtime list.

Eric and I thought potty training was going to be a snap because going to the potty at Kindercare is a big part of Andrew's daily routine and he had some early success. But now he's stop going in the potty at school. So we need to be a little more supportive of the potty training at home. We're now putting him on the potty with more regularity. Although I think potty training is going to happen much like speaking in complete sentences - when he's ready he's just going wake up one day and do it.

Firsts continued

I got the first new-child-in-daycare cold. New class - new kiddie germs. Its nothing too bad, just another reason not to sleep well.

Firsts

Owen laughed for the first time tonight! He thinks his dad is really funny.

Not that I'm being graded...

To all of the teachers reading this blog please forgive the misspellings! I was just reading some old posts, and oh boy there are alot of typos. I'll try to do better.

Happy Cupcakes!

A few days ago Andrew opened the pantry door, found the cupcake papers and said, "I want Happy Birthday."

How many birthday parties has this kid had at Kindercare?! I have only presented Andrew with a cupcake once in his life. And now he is so familar with them that he only has to see the cupcake PAPER and knows that those go with cupcake CAKE and that means its somebody's birthday, oh and that cupcakes are TASTY.

Its pretty adorable that he thinks cupcakes are called "Happy Birthday".

The stars that go boom!

The fourth of July was such a welcome mid week holiday for us this year. We started the day at a local park, then after naps went to the Irvine city sponsored fireworks display at one of the high schools.

Here we are at the park and here I am actually IN a picture! Eric took over photographer duties that morning.

Andrew's checking out the scene before the fireworks. This picture is classic Andrew: hat, stickers on his arms and of course, the passie.

Chilling with the Kettle corn:

Regan and her parents came to the fireworks too! Here the kids are playing with the hula hoops.

"I wanna tell you a secret!"

Andrew was a little nervous once the fireworks started and said he wanted to go home. But after about five minutes he was into it. I think it helped to have his good friend Regan with him. He's been talking about the stars that go boom ever since.

Day Three

I picked a great week to go back to work - Happy 4th of July eveyone!

First Day of School

We survived! Owen did well at Kindercare yesterday. All of the teachers I saw when I was picking up the boys had gone in to check in on him, so I know he got loads of attention. I just love this place. The consensus was that his did great for his first day. In fact he felt so comfortable in his room that he pooped all over his teacher Miss Fari. Boy, when I saw the aftermath in a baggie by his crib I felt really bad. I have never seen Owen trash an outfit so completely.

As I was anticipating, he did have a hard time with the bottle, but by the end of the day there were 4 empty bottles, so I guess he got with the program pretty quick.

Mom did ok too - it was much easier dropping off Owen on his first day than it was with Andrew. This time I knew I hadn't somehow missed the expose on this Kindercare and how this was the worst place you could ever leave your child and only the worst kinds of parents would leave their babies there and if you did you didn't deserve to keep them anymore. None of those types of worries plagued me yesterday.

Day two has gotten off to a good start. Everybody slept through the night - amazing.