TTT: Season 2, Episode 33

1. I guess I managed to have really good luck with my first two babes when it came to shots. I mean, sure, they both hollered when the needle hit the leg, but they were otherwise fairly tame in the hours that followed. I remember thinking oh, this isn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be!

Until yesterday when I quickly changed my tune. My sweet little dumpling, Grant, got his first shot and man, he did not take it well. You would have thought it was an amputation instead of vaccination. Like a lot of babies do, he slept quite a bit immediately after but when he woke, he was in a world of pain. He didn't want to nurse, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down...I'm pretty sure he didn't want to be alive whatsoever. My heart was just breaking for him. Really. I teared up and everything because there was absolutely nothing I could do to comfort him. (and yes, I did use all of the typical remedies.) There was a stretch yesterday afternoon where he wailed for a solid two hours. Of course, once he passed out he went right back to sleeping for hours on end, affording me time to make dinner and drop my anxiety level from volcanic explosion to stable. But the aftermath left me a three-year-old who took no nap at all and a two-year-old who slept for only forty-five minutes. Oh yeah, and said two-year-old had woken up yesterday morning at five-thirty.

Thankfully, my day ended with the big boys going to sleep early and without putting up any sort of a fight, a long, hot shower for myself, and a peacefully contained baby. Remarkably, he did pretty well throughout the night too. He still seems pretty sore this morning but at least I can pick him up without feeling like I'm ruining his life. Poor fella. On the up side of his two-month appointment yesterday (two months!?! Really?!?) he was 23.5" long and twelve pounds and nine ounces. Seventy-fifth percentile for both. He has gained nearly six pounds since we left the hospital. And is just a few pounds from doubling his birth weight. Sheesh. Can you imagine doing that in two month's time?

2. Darling blond-headed, brown-eyed two-year-old for lease. (I don't think I'll sell him off just yet...I may need a kidney down the road...) In the past week or so, my previously precious, loving, tender-hearted little Reagan has gone from a good little guy with sporadic typical two-year-old outbursts to a total maniac. Some of the top-of-his-lungs temper tantrums he has thrown in the past few days have left my ear drums bleeding and my mind reeling. Especially since they're usually due to something completely random:

Reagan: I want peanut and jelly.
Me: We don't eat peanut and jelly for breakfast. Let's have some yogurt and cereal.
Reagan: Don't want to! Peanut and jelly!
Me: Reagan, I'm not making you peanut and jelly right now. Come sit down and I'll get your breakfast ready.
Reagan: Peanut and jeeeeeeelllyyyy!!!

Twenty minutes later he's still flailing on the ground in the formal dining room (attached to the kitchen and home to the location where the boys go to cool themselves down when out of control), now making crazy claims that he had a bad dream and needs peanut and jelly. Oh my. It usually ends with him eventually catching his breath and me going in to talk to him.

Me: Reagan, having an outburst like that is not ok.
Reagan: But I hear the washing machine.
Me: Reagan, we aren't talking about the washing machine right now. Listen to Mama.
Reagan: But I want to love you.

And in our spare time, Mark and I are pulling at straws trying to come up with the why to this new behavior. Is it due to lack of sleep at night? (yes, he's still getting up between five and six after not falling asleep till after nine the night before.) Does it have something to do with the new baby and not getting as much direct attention as he used to? Is it a power struggle? And even more importantly, what should we do to get it to stop!?! Like most things, we're pretty sure (and praying!) it's just a phase. No baby as sweet as my little Ru is allowed to be that much of a stinker for too long! But for now, if you're interested in borrowing an adorable little fella with the longest eyelashes known to man, I've got just the guy for you! (Ha!)

3. A week from today we will be finishing out or trek to Lubbock! Our first time to return since leaving in March. We can't wait! We will be driving up to our old stomping grounds on Wednesday, stopping over in Dallas for a night with Brian and Cristi, and then driving the rest of the way on Thursday morning. We will be staying through Labor Day weekend, the main purpose of the trip being to serve as our godson Jacob's godparents at his baptism and to have our sweet little Grant baptized at the same time. If you're a Lubbockite, we'd love for you to help us celebrate. The sacrament will take place at 10:30am on Saturday, September 3rd at St. Elizabeth's. We'll be hanging out in Lubbock the rest of the weekend and would love to see everybody! I can't believe it has been almost six months. Certainly looking forward to being back in Lubbock...though not so excited for the drive up and back. It's about nine hours each way with Kolbe and Reagan. I can only imagine the length with a nursing newborn.

On Friday night, our actual anniversary, we had a candlelight dinner in our dining room with our whole family. I am so blessed to have these four guys in my life!

Mr. Pouty Face.

Public schools are back in session! Which means public libraries are back to their normal school-time activities. Yea for story time on Mondays! The boys love it. And Kolbe has a serious crush on Miss Sarah.

Pinkie and Pa got a new queen-size bed in the room that was the boys' bedroom while we lived there. They got to try out the new bed during nap time while I was at the doctor the other day.

See!?! Here's Mr. Pitiful Shot-boy. Pure misery, I tell ya.