2.5!

Wow.  Frankie is 2 1/2.  Wow.  Sometimes when I stop and look at him - like really, really look - I find myself in disbelief that we created something so amazing.  Nothing has made me more proud.  Here's a quick run-down on FTD at 2.5:

• He is nowhere close to being ready for potty training.  He fooled us months ago.  No desire to even sit on the potty now.  The other night in the bathtub, we had our first 'Caddy Shack' incident and he got so scared/grossed out that he jumped right out of the tub.  I thought that would have done it.  But, nope.  Instead it scared him of baths.  So for about a week we had a really stinky little boy.  Until Uncle Jon came to the rescue and joined Frankie in the tub!  (Uncle Jon had his clothes on!)  And Frankie was sporting his swim diaper - which he's continued to wear for almost two weeks.  I need to figure out a clever way to get rid of the swim diaper now...and wait patiently for Frankie to warm up to the potty again.  For now, I'm grateful he's bathing again.  
• He LOVES trucks and cars - his Matchbox cars go in the bath with him and even sleep with him. He's also a big fan of 'driving' Mommy & Daddy's cars.
• He is a parrot - in both words and actions.  Sometimes I will 'talk' for Julia.  For example, she will sneeze and toot at the same time and I'll have her say, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed..."  So, the other night in the bathtub, Frankie tooted and said "I'm so embarrassed."  And we've recently switched him to fluoride toothpaste which requires him to spit it out.  So, he will hold his hair back while he spits...just like I do.  Love it!
• He's really got a pretty great vocabulary and sometimes his words and phrases just make me smile.  Here are some of my favs:
• gra-noga (granola)
• har-vives (olives)
• big-loo (igloo) 
• I cannot believe that
• Thatman (Batman)
• His imagination is starting to kick in and I love peaking in on him playing with his cars and trucks to listen.  He has the cutest "voices" - for his trucks, stuffed animals, Cosmo, Julia.
• He tells the best jokes - "Knock, knock"  "Who's there, Frankie?"  "Car" or "Milk" - but the BEST are when he just rambles on waving his hand and then cracks himself up.  I'm not quite sure where he picked that up from - but it's classic.
• He's getting rather opinionated about his clothing and will insist on wearing certain shirts, "comfy" pants or particular socks. 
• He's obsessed with taking every one of his books off the shelf and piling them onto the floor - every.last.one.  Then he climbs on the "mountain".  
• He is very particular.  VERY.  Things have to be in their place.  Shoes have to come off when you're inside.  One night at bedtime, I heard him crying and went in..."Please close my hamper."  Ugh.  Once the hamper was closed, all was right in the world and he slipped into dream land.

Frankie is growing up and turning too quickly into a little boy - but he is still full of such pure innocence.  I love his hugs and kisses and hope he never tires - or becomes too embarrassed - to give them to me!

Julia at 3 Months

Julia seems so tiny to me still - Perhaps she will always be my little baby.  I was looking back at pictures of Frankie at 3 months and he was already sitting in his Bumbo seat and playing with toys, so I decided I needed to get with the program and let my baby grow up...just a little bit.  So, she's started to sit in her Bumbo but still prefers to lay on her playmat.  She's also quite content sitting in the arm chair watching what we're up to while also playing with some of her toys.  She's mastered rolling from her tummy to her back - mainly because she hates tummy time - and is so close to rolling from her back to her tummy.  She really kicks her legs and rolls to her side but that's as far as she gets for now.  (In the video below, you'll notice I'm decidedly more excited than she is about her rolling over! :) )

Right around three months, we decided to start an official bedtime for Julia.  Previously I would keep her up until I went to bed so I would at least get a decent stretch of sleep, but she was just getting too cranky in the evenings and was essentially crying for a bedtime.  So now I nurse her around 7pm and then put her down while Frankie gets his bath.  So far she is proving to be a better sleeper than her brother was - she can at least put herself to sleep!  She's still waking up 2-3 times a night but I know that will get better with time.  I've also started to do at least one of her naps a day in her bassinet but usually her longest rests during the day are in the Moby or Ergo.  (Why didn't I use those carriers more with Frankie??)  

Julia is such a happy little girl and gives the best smiles.  She'll wake up in the morning talking and smiling - what a wonderful way to start the day!  But watch out when she gets tired...She certainly lets you know it and shows her temper!  

Half Way...I think?

April 11, 2014...Otherwise known as 5 months that we've been out of our house.  I know that we are extremely fortunate to be able to custom build our house, to have a sister and brother-in-law willing to open their home to our family, to have family around to help us with the kids...let's face it - I could go on and on.  I know we are blessed.  Which is why I feel extremely guilty writing this - but I am so ready for this experience to be OVER!  I'm ready to have all of our belongings with us (most of our things are in a POD).  I'm ready for Julia to have her own room.  I'm ready to be organized instead of having our things crammed in a basement.  I'm ready for my husband to not have to commute 3 hours a day.  I'm ready to have our usually activities and network of friends and neighbors close.  I'm ready to not have to travel an hour to go the doctor.  I am so freaking ready for our house to be done!

Phew...Glad to get that off my chest.  

Last week we had our pre-concealment walk through and inspection.  Windows are in (however, our doors are on backorder.)  This week insulation goes in and then drywall up.  They say drywall is the halfway point.  So, with our footers being poured in February, we're supposedly on track for a July 1 completion.  We aren't holding our breath.  Instead we are saying our prayers. ;) 

What an incredible feeling when we walked through the house post framing!  It's one thing to design a house on paper but to actually walk through the rooms was awesome!  Frankie had a blast running around - He even picked his room (with some guidance from us).  

We are getting there...I think.  

I Think They Call This Spring

This winter was NEVER-EVER-EVER ending.  I was so ready for spring - and I even like snow.  But enough is enough.  After several storms of 8+" - including three in March (!), I was ready to be outside.  Admittedly, the impact the weather was causing towards our house construction, coupled with being cooped up inside with a 2-year old and a newborn most certainly added to my cabin fever. But here we are at the tail end of March and I think spring may be rearing her head.  Yesterday we took advantage of the weather and hung outside at Grammy's house.  Frankie got to 'drive' the Kubota and we went for a nice walk.  Mother Nature, please, please, puh-lease don't play tricks on us...let the warmer weather stick around!

He's really concentrating here - tongue out and everything!

Stopping to smell the flowers

Posing with Grammy