Bags of Tricks

As for Mr. Isaiah...

1. Wearing mommy's shoes and slippers - his new fascination. I know there's not that much of a size difference, but it's the funniest thing to watch. He's tried Greg's running shoes too, but with less success. Doesn't the sparkle suit him?

2. Ball (pronounced bahl) - one of the only words he says to date. Any day now he'll be talking up a storm, but for now everything is ball.

3. Laps - he'll fill up a bag of toys or pull his lego sack around the house in circles. We'll have to put a step counter on him, he's a bundle of energy.

4. Ball with Raider - really a kong, he thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread to toss Raider's toys to him, and gets so frustrated when Raider (the laziest dog on earth) refuses to play... until Isaiah practically places the kong (or ball, as Isaiah claims) directly in his mouth.

5. Utensils - meals are becoming a dilemma because of Isaiah's stubborn independence. He can't yet figure out how to master the spoon (he sort of shovels in sideways into the mouth in the hopes that the food will fall into it, but usually it falls down his front instead) and he prefers to flail the fork in the air rather than stab the next piece of meat. Ahh we're approaching toddlerhood, that's for sure!

Braylon, on the other hand...

1. Sleeping - hallelujah, he's quickly becoming a far better sleeper than was Isaiah (who, might I add, is waking up in the middle of the night again because he goes down without his soother but wakes in a panic in its absence and won't be calmed easily). Last night Braylon made it from 10:30 until 5:30 this morning! To most of the gals around here, those who formula feed in particular, that's nothing for a 2.5 month old baby, but it's fantastic for me!

2. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle - Braylon's language. He's very vocal lately, perhaps in competition with his older brother? It's amazing how he will interact if you gurgle back to him, too!

3. Smiles - Braylon is full of smiles, especially if you lean in and play with him. Apart from crying when he's tired and hungry - oh, and when Isaiah bonks him accidentally - he's a very happy baby.

4. Losing his hair - just like Uncle James, Braylon has lost a ton of hair recently. The other day I took his bassinette sheet out to wash it and the head indentation was full of hair. Poor thing, he's got a ton on top still but has the old man ring now on the sides. Stylin'.

5. Stiff man - he's incredibly strong. He was holding his head up long ago, and now he's able to bear weight on his legs. We've been practicing our standing, and I think he may hit that milestone earlier than did Isaiah because he already holds the majority of his weight. Exersaucer, here he comes!

Congestion

So for some strange reason, we never seem to beat "the bug" around here. Just as soon as one of us gets over a cold, up flares another. On top of that, Isaiah recently sprouted two new teeth, his first molars, so we have been dealing with a cranky child with an intense diaper rash. All of this we have taken in stride, but the latest bout of illness has affected Braylon in that he was too congested to pass his hearing screening today. He passed the first stage, but then he had to receive a "refer result" because he did not "pass" the next two. So of course I became immediately concerned: can my son hear? What's wrong? She reassured me it is likely due to his congestion (poor thing, he has been coughing and sneezing horrendously for the past few days) and other factors may have interfered as well. I'm still, two hours later, feeling slightly apprehensive regarding it all. You just expect your children to be healthy and "normal" and when something goes wrong you start to wonder.

Other than that, things are relatively same old around here. My mom's side of the family got together on the weekend, something we've not done in a very long time (approximately one year since the passing of my grandfather). It was nice to see everyone and spend some time catching up. Isaiah loved being able to play with his cousins, too. We've been immersed in shower season as well - as friends and family are soon to be married or welcoming new additions to their families. We're anxiously awaiting the boys' first cousin - another boy - who is expected to arrive at the end of the month. And we're trying to enjoy the glimpses of spring too; we've managed to take the boys and Raider for a walk every day, save for a few (such as the day we woke up to snow, again... welcome to Southwestern Ontario where it can be 18 degrees one day and -1 the next). And I think I may just head out to enjoy the sunshine right now!

Ski Trip to Panorama, BC

First of all, thank you to our cousin Richard who invited us on our very first, hopefully of many to come, ski trips. We flew out to Calgary mid-March and on through to Panorama Mountain Village to join him and his fiancee, among others, to ski the Purcells. It was our first time out west as well, and I most definitely understand why so many who head out that way have stayed. BC, though far more expensive for gas and groceries and such, is gorgeous... and mild! Thankfully, though we had no new powder to ski on, the mountain retained some snow on the runs because driving in through Radium the ground was bone dry.

So neither of us are professional skiiers by any means (though Greg thinks he's a shoe-in for the downhill Olympic team for Portugal after his week on the slopes) but we had a great time. I'd not skiied in years, nor had Greg (though I didn't have to come down off the first chair on all fours, Greg!). By mid-week we'd both made it to the top of the mountain (though chose not to attempt black diamond runs from there; instead we took a run called "Get Me Down"), as well as had "clean" days (no falls) - a long way from our first day stumbling down the green runs. Definitely a long way from the Byron bump I'm used to! Obviously!

And Braylon had a "first" that Isaiah has yet to have - a plane ride. We left big brother Isaiah home to vacation with all of his grandparents (again, thank you). So Braylon had his first one-on-one time with mommy and daddy as well. I must say he's a pretty darn good baby; though fussier than was Isaiah, he's content for the most part. He was actually quite sick during our week in BC - coughing and sneezing like crazy - and maintained a good demeanour regardless. He did a fantastic job of flying out - other passengers noted they'd not even known a baby was on the plane - and had other contenders for noise violations on the plane home as it was packed with kids (Easter weekend).

Anyhow, he must've known I was writing about him, as he woke from his nap... so back to my weekend with the boys!

I Should've Known...

...when I saw the onset of a runny nose, steadily dripping from my son's nose, that today would bring the debut performance of "Mommy, I'm Sick," starring Barking Cough, High Fever, Running Nose and best-of-all Grumpy Child. 24 hours and a few boxes of kleenex later, we're well into the "run" of a strong 'bout with an illness (for which I'm not yet willing to wait all evening in line at the after-hours clinic as I don't think we've quite reached full blown sickness). I must say it's nice to have a little boy so willing to cuddle, and though he woke up cranky at 6 a.m. this morning, he was coaxed back to sleep between us until 10 a.m., so I savoured a first sleep-in (though interrupted with spells of nursing Braylon, who also slept nicely for us) in some time! However, I've also today endured a stubborn child who would have nothing to do with food, even soup to make him feel better.

I hate when my kids are sick - I feel so helpless. And I really don't want to go rushing off to see the doctor when it's really just the common cold, yet I hate to see him suffer. Thankfully his spirits were lifted as his neighbour friends, Olivia and Bella, came to visit in the afternoon and played with him for some time. And he seemed to be a-okay to play (though he's being slightly sucky with daddy right now, which seemed to turn on immediately once his friends went home). I'm sure he'll kick this in a few days, but I just hope Braylon doesn't catch it as we'd like to try to travel with a healthy baby come the weekend!

I Broke Down and Finally...

...cut Isaiah's hair. Gone are his curly locks and fly away wings.

Thankfully hair grows, so I'm hoping it fills in some as it's fairly fine (despite Greg and I both having rather coarse, thick hair). He's still a handsome little man, though!

Braylon has a really nice head of hair already, though his is getting lighter (while Isaiah's has darkened). I imagine I'll have to cut his sooner than was Isaiah's trimmed, but we'll see.