2 and a half!

Trevin at 2 1/2! Full of life & speed. I guess it goes without saying, he's constantly trying to keep up with his brother. Everyone comments on how tall & big he is...there is just no stopping him. He eats like a champ & sleeps really well for the most part. In our upheaval during spring break (another post about that later), he has transitioned out of his crib & into the big boy bed. It cracks me up that he hasn't figured out that he can now get out of his bed. We always have to go in & get him when he wakes up. The day he discovers that new secret with come soon enough. He loves his big bed & has slept pretty well so far. Hope it continues.

A quick smile before heading out to Wed night meeting.

You can't beat a candle on a cinnamon muffin!

I love this smile...it's not one of his fake ones.

My little boy & I...I don't want him to grow up so fast!

Trevin at 2 years

Things about Trevin at 2 years:

-asks for 'lunch' multiple times a day (ie when waking at 6:45ish, when getting ready for bed)

-is always looking for the moon when outside

-loves trucks & ambulances/fire trucks

-waits patiently with me while in line to pick up Benjamin from school

-loves to color...will color on his hands & arms as much as the paper

-even the littlest 'owwie' should not be taken lightly

-sleeps great...unless he is sick - then forget about sleeping, Mommy

-wants to go to school just like Benjamin...dragging his little backpack around the house

-when requesting something, he'll answer for you (ie "Mommy, up please....'kay")

-Not sure if I've heard him say 'yes' much...it comes out as 'huh' with a quick nod

-He's doing really well sitting still in meeting...we're learning that less is better

-He plays by himself so well...in fact, I can be gone (ie work) for a few hours while Russell works from home some mornings/handles conference calls with Trevin playing.

-Loves to set up meeting with his lego people or animals [see photo]

-Doesn't sing the graces at the table...but covers his eyes & waits to eat until we're finished singing

-Requests his little bible in meetings

-weight in the 50-75th percentile, height in the 90th percentile

Letting Go...

Letting go...
Easier said than done.
He smiled, so I smiled too (but inside it was different).
He was ready, so I prepared myself too.
It was emptier at our house that day, but I cherished the evening together.

Thank you for your calls, emails, & texts...it was just what I needed.

the night before kindergarten...

We loved reading this book together tonight....thanks Polly for the great gift! Benjamin already knows what to expect in a small measure since going to Montessori school last year, but this will be more structured & probably less play time. He'll meet new friends & learn a new school. I'm excited & nervous for him all at the same time. Russell and I were just talking this weekend about how much he has grown this summer. Not just physically, but emotionally & mentally. He has matured & I know he'll handle things very well tomorrow. [The big question is...how am I going to do??]

23 months

In less than a month we'll have a 2 year old in our household! What??
Random things I want to remember about Trevin at this age...

Cannot say Benjamin, so calls him "Bubu" instead
Loves to talk on his play phone to Nana, Papa, Grandpa Lairlee
The words I hear most during playtime are, "Ready, Go, Fast!"
Would rather ink his arms with markers instead of the paper
Wants to tell stories just like Benjamin....but in his own language
Is able to unlock & open all doors in our house. But he knows not to go outside without us.
Sleeps great at nights (thankfully we are done with teething for now)
Walks down the stairs now, but reverts to belly sliding if he feels a sense of urgency about the situation
Will climb out of his high chair & the grocery cart when we are not looking
Plays by himself pretty well
Favorite toys - either race cars or JD tractors.
Just discovered Bob the Builder this week.
When Russell comes home from work, he yells to him "Dada, Dada" & expects to be acknowledged/greeted....even if Russell is on the phone.
Loves to rock & cuddle before bedtime/naptime. But he must have his bunny.
Climbs on anything, gets into everything (ie sneaks into our shower, taking off the drain and proceeds to stuff my razor and a small B&BW lotion bottle down the drain....ugh!!!!)
Calls every meal "lunch" and usually asks for lunch as soon as he wakes up. He is a very good eater! His favorite food is cheese.
Wears 3T clothes & does NOT like footed pjs.
Loves bathtime & would play in there for hours if I'd let him.
He'll go around & shake hands after mtg.
Loves car keys. Mr. Curtis is a favorite because after mtg, he'll always give Trevin their car keys. Trevin tries (in all positions standing, sitting, lying down)to get the keys into his pants pocket...just like Mr. Curtis.

So far...

Wow....this takes a lot of patience & diligent effort. We're giving it our best shot this week. I'm glad to have lots of encouragement & help from older brother in our latest endeavor. Keeping our fingers crossed that it works!

more about Benjamin...

Receiving his yellow ribbon from the assistant teacher of his class who helped for part of the year...since finishing her certification she has moved on & has her own class now. His wonderful teacher is in the background holding the microphone. I am amazed by their endless patience & dedication to teach.
our happy boy
the kids from his class who graduated & will go to Kindergarten this fall.
checking out his certificate
lots of smiles! I'm so sorry we didn't get a picture of Nana & Papa with Benjamin. Benjamin was super happy to have them at his school for the special occasion.

our little graduate

20 months!

This is a bit late....however the last time I was inspired to write, blogger was not working for me.


Things I want to remember about Trevin at 20 months...

• he keeps our home lively with his laughter & jibber jabber


• the terrific twos have already begun!


• anything Benjamin can you, he can do too (or at least Trevin thinks he can)


• will climb on ANYTHING


• has discovered he loves ice cream


• loves his Boppa (aka Papa) & calls him on 'his' cell phone every day


• nearly every sentence includes motor noise for car/truck/semi/cement truck


• is adding new words to his vocabulary every day


• favorite sport: "hocKEE" (how to play: use mommy's kitchen spatulas and hit a ball as hard as you can, chase it, & repeat) Benjamin is credited with teaching him this game


• loves to sit at the piano & play


• his one nap in the afternoon can last from 45-90 minutes....so bedtime is still pretty early


• will sit quietly & put tinkertoys together for quite a while


• tells himself "no, no" when he knows he has done something wrong...but has yet to tell us 'no' in defiance.


• races to come sit on my stomach when I lay down to do my crunches...ugh, that's hard work!


• he is still so cuddly & loving...he was even loving on Grandma's dog today...Cocoa was dirty & spotted with paint...that didn't matter, Trevin just laid his head right up against Cocoa.

This little guy doesn't stop for very long, but I love that he stopped to smell the peace lily blooming on the plant we were given at the time of Grandpa Ben's funeral 2 years ago

I'm so glad that Benjamin has such happy & good memories of him, yet I'm so sorry Trevin will only know him thru pictures.

Happy Half Birthday Trevin!

1 1/2 years! Wow. Most look at him and wonder how he could be that young (yes, he's a big boy!) and I wonder how he could be that old! I love his new found independence yet am so sad to be leaving the baby stage.


Birthday presents...

Today he gave me lots of love pats as he hugged me and surprised me with his first slobbery, sloppy kisses on my cheek. It melted my heart. Today I'm keenly aware he'll never be this young/small again, so I'm savoring these moments. Tonight I'll give him extra Daddy time while I go to Mom's Night Out! When I get home we'll eat cupcakes & sing to him.

Sleeps...has 1-2 naps per day
Sleeps wonderfully in his own crib with pooh & bunny from 7pm to 7am; however our vacation was NOT restful. He was up every 2-3 hours at night & would wake up so early in the morning that Russell would take him to the beach to sit & watch the sun rise. Whew...tired parents!

Eats...mostly finger food but recently requested a spoon and surprised us all by eating applesauce from the bowl just like his big brother. The next day, half of his oatmeal & the bowl ended up on the floor, so eating still requires quite a bit of supervision.

Plays...with everything from books, tractors, tinkertoys, appliances on the lower shelves of our pantry {loves those buttons}, cameras, cell phones, etc. Loves to be outside, however he has been known to wander over to the neighbor's house. I can't turn my back to him very long.

Recently discovered...
he can get a hold of anything by pushing a chair up to the counter, getting up on the chair, standing & then reaching for whatever he is NOT supposed to have.

Can speak...
10+ words & signs a little {I haven't taught him much}
[light, mama, dada, hi, ni-ni (night night), duck, up, nana]

Life is MUCH busier with him, however our hearts & home just wouldn't be the same without him!!

Trevin Russell: 15 months!

My goodness...where do I begin??!! If he's awake, he's moving (he hardly ever sits anymore). If he can reach it, he'll get it. If he sees someone else do it, he'll do it. If he doesn't think you heard him or got the message, he'll try again much louder. If he doesn't take good day time naps, he'll sleep all night long (not complaining about that one!). If we're eating it, he wants some too. If he loves you, he'll give you the best smiles & neck squeezes. If he isn't sure about you, he'll run & hide his face in our laps. If his brother is at school, he doesn't laugh as much but is still content to be with us. Speaking of brothers...if his brother has it, he wants it. I find myself telling him 'no' so much more than I ever did with Benjamin. Of course his interests include: light switches, electrical outlets, phones, keys, the vacuum, etc. Why do we need toys??

Words: Mama, Dada, lickle (tickle) and his own jibber jabber

Foods: everything (except the typical food hazards for a 1yr old)

Sleeps: 2 short day time naps & usually sleeping all night long

Teeth: 6...maybe more soon?

Oh yes, he keeps us on our toes...I feel so worn out by the end of the day. But it is worth it and we all love him so much!

What's for lunch??

This month I've been dragging Trevin's high chair outside at noon and we eat our lunches on the covered patio...watching the squirrels & birds. Lovely!!

Trevin likes finger foods but barely tolerates stage 3 baby food...he wants to try what we have on our plates...of which 80% gets spit out into this bib...but at least he wants to try it!

Fingerfoods he likes at 13 months: avocados(the best baby food ever!!!!), pears, apples, grapes, chicken, cheese, breads, carrots, peas, corn, & more.

It's Official!

Trevin is walking. I find myself holding by breath, cringing...waiting for the tumble. I'm amazed how much he improves every day. He is persistant & doesn't resort to crawling very often. I'm so proud of him!

Today on 9/9/10

"Mommy, Trevin took 5 walks today without our help!!"

Yep, that's right...he's taking 'walking' to a new level. 5 consecutive steps without holding on before plopping down. It is so cute & I'm so glad Nanny got to see it for herself. The first time I saw him do this today was on the tile floor in the kitchen as he set his sights on the open dishwasher. He just loves that thing! I'll try to get some pictures of this tomorrow.

Also today...introduced yogurt & loving it!

9 months

the little things I don't want to forget...

-21.5 lbs (75th percentile)

-30.25 inches long (95th percentile)
-not a mommy's boy or daddy's boy...he seems to love everyone equally
-is the happiest when playing with his brother
-favorite place is to stand is at the bathtub & he attempts to get in
-navigates at least 5 stairs (going up, not down)
-is a bulldozer...if something is in the way he'll go over it, under it, or thru it to get where he wants to go
-loves his little pooh blanket & thumb when he is put to sleep in his crib (I have rarely seen him suck his thumb except when he is in his crib...for which I'm thankful!)
-bald on top...but blonde short hairs are getting a longer
-will fall asleep in great Grandma Burnette's arm quicker than in anyone else's
-wakes 1-2 times at night to get some milk & cuddle time with mommy
-says dada dada but we're not sure he knows what he's saying
-is growing out of his clothes too quickly (has been in 12 month clothes for a long time now)
-his feet & ankles are so fat & chubby (prefers no shoes)
-until recently, he'd get 'stuck' standing up in his crib and not be able to get himself down
-likes all fruits & vegetables (except green beans)
-is very good at expressing himself (got earplugs?!)
-is fascinated by tags
-doesn't like getting new teeth
-loves to snuggle in the morning but when he sees big brother, he's ready to go

We love him so much!

6 months old!

Stats:

18 lbs, 10 oz - 75th percentile

27.5 inches long - 90th percentile

• Sitting alone for little while before leaning & toppling over
• Loves his thumb when he is tired
• Started solids last week - rice cereal & sweet potatoes
• Finds his toes quite fascinating
• Smiles the most for his big brother
• Laughs the most with his daddy
• Puts everything in his mouth - time to clean house & get rid of the 'little' things
• Sat in his bumbo during special meeting & enjoyed it
• Makes hyperventilating (is that a word?) sounds when he needs milk or when he knows it's coming - too funny
• Loves being cuddled & held - I love those moments when he just rests so still in my arms
• Sleeping...well, let's not talk about that. Brief daytime naps & wakes 2x a night to eat
• Sings with me at night when I'm putting him to bed

He makes us all so happy...

5 months

5 months = 20 weeks = 140 days = 3360 hours old!

Where did that time go?

Instead of wishing that time would slow down, I just want to make the most of each month, each week, each day, each hour.

Trevin at 4 months

4 month stats:
16lbs, 9 oz (75th percentile)
25.75 in. (75th percentile)

New things...

~he's almost rolling

~blowing bubbles & giggling a lot

~he'd decided his thumb definitely tastes better than the pacifer (okay, I'm giving up!)

~likes to be included at mealtime (ie sitting in his bumbo on a chair or sitting in our laps)

He still...

~loves cuddle time

~eats frequently

~finds his older brother quite fascinating

~does not like tummy time

3 months old

Trevin just turned 3 months old. He’s a big boy! It’s so different than with Benjamin. I always heard “he’s so little” and now we constantly hear “he’s so big.” Trevin loves to be held and is very smiley. His sweet little voice makes our hearts melt. So far, he’s a very good baby - mellow and happy most of the time. He looks like he will roll over pretty soon. Trevin will take the pacifier but he gets unhappy with it if he is hungry. He still hasn’t had a bottle yet. We haven’t noticed any thumb sucking yet, but he will chew on his hand. Trevin wakes up two times at night to eat and we’ve thought about trying to get him on a better schedule so I can sleep a bit more, however we haven’t attempted to change that yet. We need to work on taking more pictures of him - he is a cute little guy!

6 weeks old

Trevin at 6 weeks...

• recognizing voices & faces
• purposeful smiling
• lifting & keeping head off our shoulder when being held
• still wakes about 5-10 minutes after going to sleep because of tummy discomfort(??!!)
• weighs at least 12 lbs
• it's getting difficult to wash all the leg & neck rolls