Throwback Thursday

I sort of treat our blog as a public scrapbook. I enjoy looking back at it time to time as a central spot I've placed fun memories or anecdotes and love showing favorite pictures to my friends and family that take time to visit. I do wish I had started it earlier so I had memories further back on here, so I thought, why not fix that? On Thursdays, I will share a photo from the past, hence the new tradition of Throwback Thursdays. Hope you enjoy!

This family wouldn't have existed but for this beautiful beginning and the love and support of our special family and friends. So, while more sentimental than most future Throwback Thursdays, there's no more perfect place to start.

 

"Gavin! I want to snuggle!!"

Snuggling together on the couch as big bro watches Dora. Only one brother was done before the other was...

I want to have 10 kids...

If they stay four months old forever.

Well that and they never learn to say "No!", hit the terrible twos, cost any money, need any more space, and don't require me to be pregnant again.

I guess I'll just soak up this delicious phase while Gavin's in it.

Now I remember vividly all over again the ache I felt leaving Ethan to go to work when he turned four months old.

Gavin Giggle in Slow Motion

 

Thank you Grandpa for my new chair! I'm clearly loving it!

 

"Gavin the Graduate"

Happy one month birthday to our youngest son, Gavin!  

A good friend, Marci, handmade Gavin the onsie he's wearing, which says, "Gavin the Graduate" with an inscription on his tushie, 12-21-11. 

That date marks the day he came home from the NICU, passing that first test life gave him and graduating to the next step of coming home.

Today he graduated again, from the third trimester! Born one month early, today he is the age he should have been to be... born!  Only now should he have started his life outside the womb.  

But he lives life on his own terms it appears and we've been blessed to hold him in our arms and love him on the outside instead.  Since coming home three weeks ago, he has grown a full inch and added TWO POUNDS to his 5lb 9oz birth weight!  

Each month I'm going to be taking a picture of him in this same chair with the same teddy bear.  The bear is about his size and the chair is way too big for him. Over time, we should be able to watch the differences month to month by comparing him to the two!

"Hugs Mommy!" 

(Okay, maybe it's "Enough of this photoshoot"! Or, just the startle reflex.  But I'll go with the hugs theory.)

"The Thinker"

Ethan's New Role as Gavin's Big Brother

I was very apprehensive about Ethan's reaction to his baby brother, I wanted Ethan to still feel as loved as before Gavin came home while also feeling protective of our tiny, defenseless baby.  I imagined Ethan asking for me to hold him instead of Gavin, as he has when I have held other friends' babies.  Instead, we have encountered Ethan begging for "Ethan's turn to hold baby brother Gavin!" He's not jealous of Gavin's time with Mommy or Daddy, he's jealous of Mommy or Daddy's time with GAVIN!

Ethan has had a wicked cold and our worry has been Gavin catching this cold as he was just in the hospital for respiratory issues.  The doctor told us that Ethan's cold is not airborn, it's through contact with mucus membranes.  So after thorough hand washing with a bonus of hand sanitizer (called "magic soap" in our house now), Ethan can hold Gavin.  The one rule is that he can only touch his hair or his feet.  So Gavin's feet are getting lots and lots of tickles, kisses, and sniffs to see if they are "stinky!"

 

I know this is just the beginning of a lifetime of ups and downs in their relationship as brothers, but it's been a heartwarming and sweet experience this first week.  

Why I think it's a bad thing my son sleeps with a baby doll

Now before you judge me, a self-proclaimed feminist and fierce equal rights advocate, hear me out.

It all started a week ago. We hosted a playdate at our house where one of Ethan's friends had her 6 month old brother joining us.  I pulled out Ethan's old bouncy seat from when he was an infant for the little boy.  After watching the baby use it, Ethan was FASCINATED.

He put a random baby doll (that he has never really paid much attention to) in the bouncy seat, saying "baby! baby!" (Note: That baby doll is the same size Ethan was when he was born, just 22 months ago, his first onsies fit her perfectly.)

Here he is giving the baby one of his many, many kisses!

He hopped in too, I think just to remind me who my real baby is.

Now here comes the interesting part.  Starting that night, Ethan started taking the baby to bed!  He kisses her "night-night" and asks for "baby" when it's time for bed.  Every night since then he's slept with this little doll in his arms.

Now why do I think this is a bad thing for my son?

Because I CANNOT STOP TAKING PICTURES OF HIM HOLDING THE DOLL WHILE HE SLEEPS!  Seriously, this is a problem.  I have to use flash to take the photos as it's obviously dark at night when he goes to bed.  I'm risking disrupting his fragile bedtime and sleep to take picture after picture.

See?  I can't stop!  This one even shows the puddle of drool under his cheek from his deep, happy sleep holding his "baby."  

It is a bad thing Ethan sleeps with a doll because his mother can't control herself!

Naptime Battle Royale: Mommy 1, Ethan 0

Ugh, this week guess who learned the word "no"? Doesnt he understand by losing this fight, we BOTH win? ;)

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Boo! (or is it Growl?)

Here is your Halloween preview!  This year is going to be much more fun now that he knows he is in costume and can walk himself door to door to trick or treat.  (he's still not eating any of the candy though :)

Here's our little lion cub practicing his best growl!

Practicing running door to door.

He's a bit clumsy, the costume doesn't allow for any peripheral vision!

His best "Can't I have just one candy bar, Mom?"  

"Nope!  We're going to keep you in the dark as long as we can on how yummy sweets are!" 

Followed by evil sounding "Muhawww haww haww" laugh.

 This seemed like the perfect costume as he has a long ginger mane and is his Daddy's little Simba.  

Here's our little cub at Shenandoah National Park at four months old.   

Get ready to see this costume a few times, I'm putting it on him every costumed occasion I get this fall! :)

Our little ham!

Here are a few more shots of our little man from my birthday photo shoot!

Chris adores how long his hair has grown.

 It was very hard to...

keep him in front of the camera long enough to get a shot!

The third installment brings the debut of Ethan's Halloween costume! :)

Preview of Preteen Years

Ethan's just started using this look and I find it hilarious!  I think it foreshadows the exact look he'll give me when I say he can't borrow the car or stay out after curfew! Just add the sound of a slammed door after a huff and a stop and it's complete! :)

Our Family "Staycation" Travel Journal, Day 1

This past weekend Chris planned for us a "Family Staycation," exploring a couple local treasures, the National Harbor and Old Town Alexandria.  He got a fabulous room for the three of us at Aloft Hotel, and knew that showing his frugal wife he got it at a huge discount on it would make the stay even more fun for her!  It was a really special weekend and I've been looking forward to sharing our travel journal of sorts with you.  Be forewarned, we both had our cameras on us, and were accompanied by our favorite subject!

 

Ethan settled into the hotel right away, I think he liked its modern decor!

We started our first morning heading out to breakfast overlooking the Harbor. 

Ethan flashed his two new pearly whites in approval!

 

We then explored the waterfront at nearby Old Town Alexandria.  Chris had taken me there on our third date, so it brought back some of the new relationship memories! 

 

"I love it when you have days off Mommy!"

 

Being the Obamababy he is, Ethan spotted the Obama's in front of a local store...

and our family caught another photo op with the First Family.

We headed back to our hip hotel so our little man could nap...

which Ethan thought was hilarious!  

  

"Haha!  Who naps on Staycation!?"

As these eyes were NOT shutting that afternoon... 

we went to lounge around in the lobby.

Ethan became his very own...

Ethan-in-a-Box!

We ended the day enjoying National Harbor's restaurant week at a very, very delicious Asian Fusion restaurant Grace's Mandarin. 

The view of the sunset over the Harbor was beautiful from our table. (Photo credit: Chris!)

After Ethan enjoyed a quick dinner, he fell fast asleep in his stroller (must have been that lack of nap), and graciously gave his Mommy and Daddy a quiet dinner together!  It felt like we were on a date night with a sitter.

We highly recommend their amazing calamari!

And their Teriyaki salmon, crunchy shrimp rolls, and spicy tuna sushi was even more incredible!

The perfect ending to a fantastic first day.