PUCCI FAMILY

Toilet Humor

2012-01-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well...since we started the "toilet humor" in the last post, here's some more. Griff has a dinosaur that burps. And he is a little parrot...and lucky for us, Ashley took videos.

Now THAT'S Funny!

2012-01-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

This post has no pictures. Honestly, you probably don't want to see the pictures. And don't read while you are eating. :)

A few nights ago the boys were in bed and Ben and I were catching up on some of the shows on our DVR (we are WEEKS behind on the few shows we actually watch...seems to never be enough time). We checked the monitor after Griff had been in bed awhile and he still wasn't asleep....now with Griff, that generally means one thing: he has probably went #2 in his pullup. Yep, G-man has been potty trained for many months and rarely has potty accidents. But the other...well, let's just say we go through a lot of pullups. And I'm out of ideas. We seem to have breakthroughs - for a few days we had a LOT of success when I would sit with him in the bathroom but hold a magazine between us (I thought perhaps I was a genuis -- all this time he had just wanted PRIVACY!). Alas, it did not last. After a few days we were back to going at naptime soon after the pullup goes on. I've googled it. I've asked others. I've begged Griff...we've bought the books for him to read (and honestly, he can read them by heart, word for word...they are some of his favorite books!). I bought fart apps for the iPhone and iPad because, and this astonishes me, apparently the concept of farts/burps being funny is innate in boys. To Griff, there's just not much that's funnier. So we thought...maybe if we can "toot" on the potty the other will come easier. Nope. He knows exactly what he SHOULD do...he just refuses to comply. So there's that. I'm told soon enough it will just happen. Right now I just can't envision it!

Anyway, back on point - I went up to check on Griff and, sure enough, I needed to change his pullup. We went into the bathroom, changed pullups, and put the poo where it goes -- in the POTTY. I left the bathroom for a few seconds to grab some more wipes, and when I came back in Griff had grabbed his new camera he got for Christmas (SD card and all, this is the bigtime folks...thanks Gma Cathy!) and I could hear him snapping away. He turns to look at me, grins, and proudly says as clear as day -- "I took a picture of my poop!...Now THAT'S funny!"

You're right, Griff, admittedly, that's funny. Oh the moments I wish I had on video! And for once, I was glad I got the pullup changing duty!!! Too good, Griff, too good!

Ohhhh....I WANTED that!

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight when I came home we had a big box sitting on our porch. Exciting! Griff wanted to help me open it, so we opened it together. And, generally, I didn't figure he would be too excited about the contents (though I was...Pottery Barn Kids order finally came in...yay!). I had ordered the boys each a chamois floor pillow with their names on it, Easter basket liners, and I ordered Griff chamois sheets and pillowcases. Now, if you know of my love for PBK chamois {everything} this won't surprise you...but Griff is also now in love with it. And so is Ben...he wishes they would sell king-sized sheet sets! The boys had (have) the chamois crib sheets, and Duncan had started to get his big boy bed stuff, too, as gifts. And Duncan's big boy bed is going to be outfitted to the max with PBK chamois. And Griff...was jealous. His sheets? Weren't chamois. Neither were his pillowcases. I had already bought D the chamois duvet cover, but Gma Cathy got him the sheet set and pillowcases for Christmas. Griff found the sheets, opened them, and carried it around rubbing it on his face proclaiming it was "his NEW blankie!". So I caved, and put them on Griff's bed (Dunc, don't be mad, I know this was one of the few things in life that would have been yours and only yours but it was only for a week or so, promise). Griff refused to use a pillow (I didn't let him use the pillowcases) and would only sleep on the sheet, because, in his words..it was "so so soft!"

So I ordered him his own. And when he opened the box, I handed him the sheets and he yelled, clear as day "THAT IS WHAT I WAAAANTED!" Really? Neither Ashley nor I had heard this phrase from him before but we couldn't stop laughing. And I handed him the pillowcase. "WOW! That is what I wanted!" And the other pillowcase? You guessed it...that was what he wanted!!! I tried to get it on video...but at that time, he was a little tired of saying it so t he video isn't the best.

But tonight, his bed is outfitted with his new sheets and pillowcases and he insisted that both Ben and I lay down in his bed with him so he could show us how "so so soft" it was. I am definitely one that loves to be "cozy" in my bed...and I love that both of my boys do, too!

Twinkle, Twinkle

2012-01-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

This "video" isn't for the visual...but the sound. It is of Griff singing MAMA a "baby song," which we sing to him every night. But, lately, Griff has been deciding to sing ME Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

And I think it is the best song I have ever, ever heard.

Everyday Life

2012-01-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Just had some cute pics I wanted to share. Nothing insanely exciting...just the everyday stuff with my two boys.

In the morning I will sneak into Duncan's room after I know he is awake and crawl over to his crib to surprise him between the rails. He thinks this is a fun game and never tires of it.

When Dunc is hanging out playing on his tummy Griff often joins.

Happy Baby first thing in the morning!

Trying out a new snack. This weekend Griff and I did some shopping and came home with some new treats for baby Dunc: biter biscuits, rice "rusks" (pictured here), some Stonyfield YoBaby fruit/yogurt (with Griff LOVED as a baby), and some puffs so D can work on feeding himself. Big steps for a little man!

Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.

Two dudes hanging on the couch

Yeah, I'm watching football...

Told Claire I'd post this...so I did.

And Griff. With his big boy cup. This one has been a long time comin' with him. Griff loves his milk and drinks it all in one sitting, still. "Sipping" is not in his vocabulary. So, big boy cups have been a challenge we've been trying to overcome for some time now, because G does not have the patience to drink slowly. He chugs. But, I think with the help of this awesome OXO training cup we are there. Whew!

Loving These

2012-01-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

For the boys rooms. Found the idea on Pinterest, go figure. :)

Duncan's Half Birthday!

2012-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well my baby is offically one-half year old! Per usual, time has flown but I would not trade a second of it. We had Dunc's six-month check-up yesterday...and I have to tell you that it was an evening appointment and Ms. Asha informed me that Griff hadn't napped. We all know Griff and no naps often don't mix, so I was really hoping we weren't going to get into another not-so-proud-mama-moment (read: Santa visit, try #1) as it was just me and the boys braving it together. But, I am so so pleased to report I was a super proud mama because BOTH boys behaved like little angels. Griff took the wait like a champ and charmed the nurses by "reading" them a book about sea animals (lucked out there without a doubt). And, I had ancipated that Griffin would not like to see his brother get shots or be sad, so he and I discussed the procedure beforehand. What I didn't anticipate was just how protective Griff would be of Duncan...made me really excited for when these two get older and get even closer. When the doc got out the stethoscope to listen to Dunc's heart and lungs, Griff was not pleased. He came right over to the doctor and stood in front of him and watched, intently, until the doctor explained he was listening to Duncan's heart and that he was not hurting him. It was SO precious to watch. And when the shots came, Griff was quick to pull up the step stool and rub his brother's hair. Definitely one of those moments that warmed my mama heart. Another one of those evenings I don't want to forget.

More good news to report: Duncan is officially off of the Zantac (has been for weeks now) and has no symptoms of discomfort or reflux any longer. His head is round. His neck is strong. My "little" man weighs 19lbs 13 oz. (95th percentile) and is 29 inches long (off the chart). That's right - baby D is again off the charts as far as his length is concerned. Now this does not surprise me as I have spent the last week switching D's clothes out (again -- feels like I just did that!) and he is now officially in 18-24 mos sizes; nothing smaller fits at all at this point and it was a long time coming because let's just say most of his pants and jammies had become man-pri's. This is another instance where I LOVE having two boys, though...as I sifted through the bin of Griffin's 18-24 size clothes, it was like a trip down memory lane. And as I pulled out cute outfit after cute outfit I was also pleased that I had splurged on great clothes before (see Daddy, it was worth it!) because most of them look like they have barely been worn. I can't wait to put D in each and every little outfit and remember when Griff was that little! And now I have even more of an excuse to stimulate the economy through Baby Gap, Baby Boden, you name it!

And the ped was also pleased with Duncan's motor skills and his milestones...almost crawling (rocking bigtime)...babbling up a storm (loves to tell stories)...great holds on his toys and LOVES to bring anything to his mouth (hence his desire to feed himself)...sitting up unassisted...this little man is hitting the high points. And I adore him...as does anyone who is lucky enough to meet him. Our friends the Farmers came over for a bit on Saturday; they have baby Dylan who is a few days older than Dunc. Tara asked me if Dunc had any teeth, to which I replied, "Nope, not yet but he is working very hard at getting some!" Then I casually stuck a finger in D's mouth...wait a sec, he sure DOES have a tooth! Finally all that drool and chewing has paid off, and Duncan has a tooth on his bottom right. His pediatrician took a look and said it won't be long at all until he cuts a WHOLE lot more of them, too. Good. Bring 'em on. Also last weekend we went over to the Brewer's (one of Ben's fraternity brothers who we recently realized lived fairly close to us). They have a one-year old, Lucas. And while we hung out and had an awesome time, D sat on the floor and played with toys. Laid back. Happy. The Brewers were amazed with BOTH boys and how laid back and fun they are. I do have to say this is a more recent development that we are also loving...Dunc is becoming much less of a high maintenance little guy. He can just "hang". Now that he can play actively with toys (and he loves his brother's toys the best -- baby toys are SO 2011), he likes to play, whether on his tummy or sitting. Now don't get me wrong, Dunc could still stand being held 24/7, but he will also independently play. And he sleeps. 11 hours at night, usually. Whew. Life is good.

Too. Stinkin. Cute!

Happy, Happy Boy.

I can't pick my favorite 6-month shots so this post is picture heavy!

Adores his brother.

And his big bro reciprocates!

Below is another of Dunc's funny quirks. He has this new "growl" that he likes to do when he is playing. It's not very fierce; instead, it's pretty darn cute and funny. And Ms. Asha caught it on video for us! It kind of sounds like someone ELSE is growling at Duncan...nope, it's all baby D!

And it doesn't take much to get D to laugh...as you can see below. This is simply a little grocery shopping and a lot of giggles.

Because I don't want to forget...

2012-01-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is my blog...but it serves many purposes. It is the boys' baby book...it is my reference guide..it helps friends and family check in on the boys when they cannot see them as often as they would like. And it helps sort my memories. I have been thinking lately about certain things I want to "blog" about but there is no rhyme or reason to the issues or thoughts. So...here is a hodge-podge-of-thoughts-post with some fun pictures as well. Because I don't want to forget!

I don't want to forget how hard Duncan is trying to crawl. I don't want to forget how much he loves to MOVE...much to my chagrin oftentimes, because I want to cuddle with him!

I don't want to forget about Griffin's lovie. His blankie (which we have several of). I don't want to forget that Griff got it as a gift from Uncle Bill and Auntie Lisa...actually attached to a blue bear. I don't want to forget how much Ben (jokingly) yells at me because I bought four additional bears...and believe me, it wasn't easy finding them online as they didn't have them at Babies R Us any longer. But after it became his lovie I didn't want to lose it! I also don't want to forget that for a long while Griff called it his "baby." However, recently, we left a "baby" at Auntie Kayla's house. And I broke out the last bear/blankie I had in the closet! That's right, Ben, the last one! And the new "baby" was softer than the rest. And Griff KNEW the difference. I was then that he began calling it his "cat meow." Why, I don't know. But he could tell the difference, even after a few washes. He would smell them to know which one was his "cat meow." Now...it's been a few weeks and a few washes. It's hard to tell which one is his "cat meow," so he calls them all that. And he loves them. And often he will go around the house "meowing" until he finds it. Love that...love him...boy after his mother's heart!

And I don't want to forget that Duncan licked it!

Speaking of Duncan liking Griff's things....here is D looking very sneaky...trying to chew on Griff's other favorite, Sheriff Woody! Dunc loves to grab his brother's things. I don't want to forget that it started early!

I don't want to forget that this little one LOVES to smile when in a good mood. I don't want to forget how much my bad day or stress melts away when I get home, he looks at me, realizes it's his Mama, and gives me that grin. And here is is with his brother's Bullseye...

I don't want to forget how much Griff loves to create things. He loves art. Here he is recently at his first day of his planes, trains and airplanes class...creating art on his "G"!

I don't want to forget how proud I was when I got a text from Ashley on Griffin's first day of class saying he had rocked it and that he had been the best listener in the class. I was so upset that I couldn't go on the first day, but none of that mattered aftre I found out how much he loved the time. I took him to his first day of his second class (Terrific Twos) today...and he was equally well-behaved. Good starts, G!

I don't want to forget how G says "rocketship." Melts my heart everytime. I also don't want to forget that the teacher called it a spaceship and G corrected her. Rocketship!

I don't want to forget that Griff does not like to get his hands messy while he is eating, and always asks for a wipe poste haste...but when it comes to art or playing, he has no cares!

I don't want to forget how Griff looks at me with excitement when I ask him if he wants to do new things and says "YEAH!"

I don't want to forget how quickly my littlest has grown up. He did not waste any time shirking the newborn stage...he must think he needs to catch up to his big brother sooner rather than later!

I'm not going to forget how fun this run was two days ago...in January! Duncan didn't cry (a new change) and Griff enjoyed it so much that when I went to turn into our driveway he said "no Mama! Keep GOINGGG!" So we did. :)

I don't want to forget how helpful G is with his brother. Truly, G does not resent Duncan or exhibit any jealousy. And Dunc is in awe of Griff. Brotherly Love.

And I don't want to forget how curious Duncan is. He wants to touch or hold everything. Tucker makes him laugh. Dunc takes it all in...and is so inquisitive. I don't want to forget how he looks when he is learning new things. I also don't want to forget how much Griff loves "mama's bed." He will, in the middle of the day, grab a blanket and say..."let's go to mama's bed." At the end of the day, we find a lot of surprises under the covers...from orca whales, dolphins, tractors, and books to a giant plastic SPIDER that I found waiting for me a few nights ago under my comforter. Griff loves "mama's bed" and takes all of his beloved objects there.

25 Rules for Mothers with Sons...

2012-01-10T11:44:00.001-08:00

I was sent this from another blog -

http://kimberlyschlegelwhitman.blogspot.com/2012/01/25-rules-for-mothers-of-sons.html

and I really love it...and given I have two of them, I will definitely pay attention! :)

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life...There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry...and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.

4. Read to him and read with him.Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.RThe examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity...The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

9. Teach him to have manners...because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

10. Give him something to believe in...Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.

11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentlelike with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

12. Let him ruin his clothes...Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a footballor how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case orca whales), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

14. Go outside with himturn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose.Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.

16. Give him opportunities to help others...There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you..especially the wipes.

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, some day down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.

21. Give him something to release his energydrums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

22. Build him fortsForts have the ability to make everyday normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

23. Take him to new places...Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

24. Kiss him...Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

25. Be home base...You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

Moving Too Fast

2012-01-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

It's not a secret that Duncan is growing up way too fast...he is sitting up, almost crawling, eating up a storm, telling stories, picking up his toys, inspecting them, checking out everything and everyone in his path....and now, feeding himself. With a spoon. Last weekend when Auntie Kayla and Uncle Eric were still at our house I was feeding Duncan. And apparently since I was talking to someone else I simply was not feeding him fast enough. So, Dunc took the spoon out of my hand and did it himself. He took the spoon, put it to his mouth, sucked the yummies off, and wanted more. And then he did it again.

It took quite a bit more for Griff to master this trick, and if I recall it was much later. Dunc, stop growing up so fast! I'm happy that your motor skills are second to none, but for mama, stay little for just a little while longer.

Oh, and let me rock you. Just once before you learn to walk. Please.

Seriously, you are taking way too long Mama!

More Christmas Mixed with New Year!

2012-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had yet another Christmas celebration, this time with Gma Cathy, Gpa Bill, Great Gpa Henry, Great Gma Lea, Auntie Kayla, Uncle Eric AND Mason (and cousin dog Darby, too)! It was a full house but we had a great time and had some more yummy food, some drinks, and opened a LOT of gifts. Everyone went a little overboard! The big boys had fun playing pool...and the little boys played together well. We were so happy we were able to have everyone up and ring in the new year with family!

We deemed it a pajama day...the kids, Kayla, and I obliged. We were the comfy ones!

Mason's beer belly :)

Dunc checked out all of his gifts. He is so into grabbing EVERYTHING now.

Awesome! More trains!

And real binoculars! Perfect for the little explorer.

More???

Mason checking out Griff's new horse trailer truck

And this was a very special present this year -- a train table that Ben built himself from wood and bolts, and then painted for the boys. It is so special and SO fun. And so big...all of the train parts and the ton of track we have fit!

The roundhouse where all of the trains live (you can see it is by Duncan Township)

Griffinville is on the other end

Christmas Day

2012-01-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Morning at home...the boys were sleepyheads -- no 5am wakeup calls for Santa quite yet! Griff had a blast checking out all of the stuff that Santa had left and then opening even more from others! These two little boys are very lucky, and very spoiled. How can you not -- they are so. darn. CUTE!

We headed over to Bill and Lisa's in the afternoon for more family and fun.

The excitement of Christmas has never been so magnified for us until we were able to see it through the eyes of the two little loves of our lives. Amazing.

Baby Duncan was not interested in getting up to see what Santa had left! I had to actually open his door...and leave it open for a while...until the sounds of his brother woke him up.

Ready for the action!

Chewing on some stocking stuffers :)

Snuggling but intently watching the action from his older brother

Christmas Kisses!

ANIMALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waching a Christmas Story...not sure if this is a good or a bad thing at this point.

Trains n Candy!

Messy Kisses

Enjoying some family time

Sleepy Baby Duncan...so, so sweet!

Running with his new Bullseye!

More gifts? REALLY?

Trying to take it all in later in his toyroom...

Christmas Eve

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

We hosted Christmas Eve this year - Auntie Honey, Uncle Bill, Auntie Lisa, Nick and Sam came over to celebrate. We made lasagna and Auntie Honey brought some yummy brocolli lasagna. We had some drinks, a lot of wine, and some fun. Griff was in his element hamming it up, and Dunc showed off some of his new skills in sitting up and just being overall adorable.

Mommy and the littlest love of her life

Auntie Lisa and Dunc

Griff sitting at the bar with the big boys

Family!

Nick and G

Getting a little Christmas ride in

Some giggles

Sitting up!

Mele Kalikimaka!

Griff enjoyed checking himself out in the mirror -- "I'm Griffin! That's Griffin!"

Daddy and G

And Mama and G having some lasagna

Our fancy eatin' table. That's right...this is our new dining room table! Otherwise known as a pool table...I recently caved and "let" Ben recognize his dream of owning a pool table. And putting it in our front room. We were on the fence about what to do with the large front room, and were against putting furniture in there that no one would ever sit on and just never using the room. So, ultimately, as I was in trial one afternoon I get a text -- "I'm at the Great Escape...I'm going to email you this pool table and let me know if you like it..." End result was that the week before Christmas a pool table was delivered to our house, and thus the Christmas tree was moved and our front room now holds a pool table and our glassware cabinets. Our former dining room is now a den. Once I get my new couch in there I think it is going to look nice. We may put some swing doors on the room, too. And to appease me, Ben went to the billiard store and got an insert for the table so that we can use it as a dining room table, too. It's a tad higher than a usual dining table, but not much, and it seats as many as we need. :)

Cheese Face!

Seeing Santa...Try #2

2011-12-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

We took Griff and Duncan to see Santa in Crystal Lake at his little house on Friday night. Actually, I took them both to see Santa on Thursday night, as well, same place -- but unfortunately it did not work out. Two tired boys + waiting in line + seeing other kids go into the house ahead of us = a very bad experience for all three of us. Not one of my most favorite moments thus far as a mom -- let's leave it at that. Bottom line is that we ended up leaving the Santa line and going home. And going to bed. :)

But, Friday night was much better. We were third in line and it wasn't too chilly. Griffin informed Santa that he wanted a train and that Duncan wanted a horse. Griff was shy (surprisingly) but jumped on Santa's lap anyway, though he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't meet the reindeer. And he felt a big bonus was the candy cane that he snacked on all the way home. Second try santa visit, successful.

Waiting on the porch.

Bundled up

Whoa candy!

Dunc wasn't sure what to think...

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

...from our family to yours!

Silly Little Elf

2011-12-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Our elf Nono came back this year from the North Pole ("Nono" was named last year by a little boy who apparently heard quite a bit of that?). While he usually likes to perch in ordinary spots...one morning we found him on his own little zip line between the oven and the pot rack! Fortunately it was high enough that we didn't clothesline ourselves (too badly, anyway) throughout the day.

This was a few days after I'd stumbled across a blog someone shared on Facebook (appropriately entitled "People I Would Like to Punch") where a long discussion was had about over-acheiving mothers and the mischief their elves get into daily...I'm talking about switching clothes in entire closets, unrolling toilet paper...unwrapping gifts...etc. I am not one of those over-acheiving moms. Ms. Asha was the one who often reminded me -- "did you move Nono today?" So I was not behind the zip line - I discovered this the morning after Ben went downstairs for a midnight snack and came back upstairs laughing to himself.

Christmas Party at Asha's!

2011-12-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Griff opening up his fly boat!

Yeah, I can sit up....look how bendy I am!

The boys enjoyed a Christmas Party - all day long -- at Ms. Asha's house earlier this week. Unca Matt was there, as well as Ms. Eileen and Ms. Amy. Par-ty! The boys had a blast...I visited for a pizza lunch and could tell they were lovin' it. They opened some gifts...as if Asha and Unca Matt don't spoil them enough, Griff got a FLY BOAT with the three Wonder Pets (yes, it was SE-WIOUS!) which he absolutely looooved...and an awesome hardback book that Asha made with some pics that we took on one of our trips to the zoo. Dunc got some jammies and a toy, too. They made cookies, and attempted some cake pops (and ate cookies, too...and candy)! What a crazy day. Duncan ended it all by sitting up, by himself. He decided it was time to show off his new skill.

Duncan is Five Months!

2011-12-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet Duncan is Five Months Old! Hard to believe, but it's true. :) At five months old, Duncan is just now learning to sit up. He is much better at doing so on carpet, but is definitely getting the hang of it. Dunc still pretty much hates the car. There will be periods that he is fairly silent...but the periods that he cries are much longer. This kind of ties into my next comment...Duncan is still very much an obstinate little man. He likes to be held. Period. He likes to jump either in your lap or his jumpy. But all things considered, he wants to be HELD. He is sleeping through the night....and doing a great job of it (life got a heck of a lot better when that became a regular routine)! He goes down around 7 and often doesn't get up until 6:00 - 6:30...sometimes, however, when he is "growing," he likes to get up at 5am and have a snack - maybe three times per week. That's okay, baby D, we will TAKE it! :) He thinks his brother is very funny and he really likes to take his toys, yes, already. I heard this phrase for the very first time from Griffin the other morning when we were all four hanging in our bed - "he HIT me!" Griff, at this point I am not sure Dunc even knows he has hands...cut him some slack, it wasn't intentional.

Dunc eats like a champ. Green beans are still his only dislike. Otherwise, if you can get it in his mouth fast enough, he loves it. If you can't, he will certainly let you know (read: Mommy and Asha are the only ones who feed Duncan...we are not afraid to shovel it in)!

Dunc graduated from physical therapy (given that he sleeps on his tummy now and is never on his back any other time, the flat spot is gone and his neck strength is almost even now on both sides). Duncan is also not taking his acid reflux meds any longer. Baby D is one healthy little stinker and often is wearing clothes in 18 mos. Yup. He is our little tank and we love him so very much!

Pucci!

2011-12-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Ashley took this video of Griff yesterday; he and I have been working hard on his name, specifically his last name. Looks like he's got it! And how stinkin' cute does it sound coming from his mouth? Melts my heart each time I hear it! I cannot wait for this weekend -- Christmas is going to be a blast this year with our little men. Love, love, love them!

Hang Time

2011-12-11T19:47:00.001-08:00

We had a low-key weekend...hanging out, finishing up the Christmas decorating, and hanging with friends while crafting, eating and drinking. Some fun pics are below.

Dunc is eating up a storm...except for green beans, which make him GAG.

He really, really doesn't like them. Can you tell?

But everything else...he loves! Avocados, pears, plums, blueberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas...

Yum!

He also loves mommy's fingers...c'mon teeth!

Griff LOVES his winter hat. He put it on his list to Santa, but it came a bit early...was necessary. :)

Griff put his ornaments on the tree and was absolutely into it. He now goes to the tree and points out all of the ornaments that are special to him. He put them all on the tree (his mickey, his lightening mcqueen, his first Christmas ornaments...and his newest one from this year, his HORSE from Grandma Lea. And when he was done putting them on the tree he said...wait..no woody buzz? So, looks like his ornament for this year will be Toy Story. And maybe a whale. For good measure.

He picked where he wanted all of his ornaments

And Dunc has been very into jumping in his exersaucer lately...he really gets it going. So, we decided it was time to break out a different toy - his jumperoo. And he LOVES to jump, jump and laugh. He is a fan!

And tonight...we had a little crafting get together and made jute-covered monogram wreaths. Here is Ashley's, which I think turned out very well! They all ended up looking great - though I will admit they were quite a bit more complicated than any of us expected.

And mine. :)

More rocketship

2011-12-10T07:58:00.001-08:00

Another video I took of the rocketship. A bit clearer. :)

RocketSHIP

2011-12-10T07:07:00.001-08:00

Griffin Thomas is talking up a STORM. And he is much more understandable these days. One of his cutest new words this week? ROCKETSHIP. He was reading one of his Christmas books, pointed to the gift the little boy got in the book and announced it was a "rocketship." And it sounds so cute coming from his little mouth (as does everything, quite frankly). Griffin is a ham. Griffin is absolutely hilarious!!! He provides us with laugh after laugh day after day.

He, Ashley, and Dunc were in the McDonald's drive thru this week and she asked him if he wanted nuggets or a burger. His response? "Hmmm....how bout a milkshake? Yeah, a milkshake, mmmhmmm." Another one of his new phrases is "how bout?"...he puts this before a lot of his musings. He is also still amazingly sweet, and cuddles me quite a bit. He will just walk up, give hugs and kisses, or climb up in my lap for me to "hold" him. Sometimes when he is watching his shows he will come up and ask, " how bout mama hold me?" Without a doubt I will, Griff, as it makes me the happiest mama in the whole world. How bout that. :)

Decorating

2011-12-10T06:58:00.001-08:00

Getting started

Auntie Honey came over last weekend and we got out the Christmas decorations...we're still only about halfway there...and hope to get it all finished today. The tree isn't decorated, and many of the decorations are still in boxes, but our house has had some Christmas spirit this week at least. Griff, for his part, LOVES the villages - especially, of course, the horses pulling the carriages. We are still learning together that these horses break...but when I hear Griff in the other room rustling around and then catch him booking up the stairs to "mama's bed," I know he has got something he shouldn't have. And when I make it to our room behind him (he's FAST!), he looks up and generally hides whatever he has behind a pillow. A few nights this week we've found ceramic horses behind our pillows. He is also, understandably, loving the advent calendar and the goodies it contains, as well as finding his elf, "Nono," every day in a new place. Duncan loves the tree and the lights and even scooted himself over to some presents a couple of times. My bet is that he will be crawling before the tree comes down. We will see. :)

Checking out the tree

Cool finger puppet from the advent calendar!

Cute little baby!

This tree takes some work...

Catch-Up Pictures

2011-12-02T11:42:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to post some of the pictures that Ashley puts on her blog onto our blog...because they are super cute and I love the memories!

Griff showing Duncan how to play with play-dough (doesn't D look uber interested?)

D getting ready to crawl (and he IS getting ready to crawl) through the jungle

G the explorer

Going on a safari in his tube!

Happy Baby

"Hiding" in this box. You can't see him, right?

Admiring his "hat" in his reflection in the stove

Duncan the Native American

My two little Indians!

G is into getting into D's saucer

Rockin' his pilgrim hat while hanging out in there

Not too pleased about wearing his headgear

Griff hanging out with Ashley and her momma, Eileen! He sure loves hanging out at Ashley's because he gets LOTS of attention....and the Pucci boys LOOOOOVE attention!

Serious motor skills

Making a "cookie how" (house) at Ms. Asha's!

Making some brownies at Ms. Asha's house

Sittin' at the bar with Unca Matt

Ashley is hammering Griff's letters home -- and he is doing SO WELL with them!

Still, a happy baby!

Alright, now where is the send button?

I recently found my toes!

Dual playtime

Cool train, Griff!

Duncan's "downward dog"

Perusing some magazines

Tucker likes the sunny spot on the stairs :)

Giving Thanks

2011-11-28T16:39:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we headed down to the farm; we went down after dinner on Wednesday night in hopes the boys would be calmer. Griff watched a movie and then slept the rest of the way while Duncan fell asleep periodically...and let us know unequivocally when he was FINISHED riding. :)

We had a good time on Turkey Day stuffing ourselves, while Griff had a good time checking out the livestock and riding a TWAKTA! And we also got to go on a mini date night to see a movie while Grandma Cathy watched all three boys...Griff, Duncan AND Mason!

Loading up

Loving it

Uncle Eric and Duncan...Uncle Eric is otherwise known as "the baby whisperer" and Dunc LOVES him! He made D laugh quite a bit.

Heading out

On the road. Let's just say at certain points it appeared Gpa was going a little too fast for Mommy's liking!

Eating! Which D is getting very, very good at...he's now eating a variety of fruits and veggies. His least favorite are green beans...but for the most part, he wolfs it all down.

D meeting Great Grandpa Stock

Gma Cathy and Gpa Bill with the three boys...Griff was being a clown.

But decided to smile here!

Clowning, Crawling and Choosing!

2011-11-20T19:26:00.001-08:00

Just a cute snapshot of the boys together as I was taking Duncan's Four Month shots

Griff likes to hold Duncan's hand

And G likes to be silly. Some good news is that we are working hard on Mr. Duncan's skin...he has uber-sensitive skin and has been a drooling machine lately (that's right I think teeth are soon to come) but the past couple of days Duncan's face has cleared up...no more redness...back to soft kissable cheekies. The rest of his body, however, is rashy and looks uncomfortable. We ordered some cream that the pediatrician recommended....so we shall see.

If he can get his hand in his mouth, I can get my FOOT in my mouth...see me try...

And Ms. Claire came over Sunday for a big project...gutting the toyroom and putting it back together. It was a HUGE task and that is why we called in special reinforcements. Claire was an amazing help (could not have done it without her, that is for sure) and when we were done...she "taught" Duncan to crawl. (No, he didn't really crawl, but he does a fun move she named the "swim" so maybe it is close)!

We tried to have Griff join in the picture. Clearly that was not a success.

Kissable cheekies

This is another of Duncan's new moves...he likes to bite/chew on his lower lip. Built in teether apparently.

And Claire even fed Duncan his nigh nigh bottle. One amazing chica!

And today Griff and I hit Home Depot to pick out some paint for the rental townhouse...a new family is moving in and their little girl needed pink rather than purple in her bedroom; Griff and I were happy to oblige. I would ask him if he liked a color and he would put his finger to his mouth..."Hmmmm...noooo." Unfortunately, his choice (a neon yellow) didn't make the final cut. And while we were waiting we played a color-guessing game with the paint chips.

And as we were checking out this honest little boy tried very hard to pay for his paint chip samples. We talk about how we have to use our money to pay for things we get at the store and apparently it is sinking in. But this time, instead of paying for his color samples he GOT a sticker. A new concept he will get the hang of quickly: being cute gets you stuff. :)

Duncan's Four Month Update

2011-11-17T14:23:00.001-08:00

Our little Duncan turned FOUR months old this week. Usually I would say "it just doesn't seem like he should be this old!" but, actually, it feels like he's been with us for a lot longer. I simply can't remember what it was like before he joined us! He really seems much older than he is; he is taking to solid food like a pro, and has eaten rice cereal, oatmeal, pears, avocados, and bananas. Next week we are going to try vegetables! He LOVES his solid food and cannot get enough. In fact, today at his pediatrician appointment I was told to try to hold off on some of his solids because, well, he is growing quite rapidly...and maybe we could cut back a bit (Read: he's a tank. Still.). He seems so much bigger than G was at this age, but actually, given Duncan's weight (17lbs 3.5 oz) and his height (26 inches)...he and G are almost exactly the same size at four months (Griff was 17 lbs on the dot and 25.5 inches). Duncan is back on the charts, but still at the very top for all measurements.

At four months, he is a happier baby (still on the acid reflux meds, but we are going to try to start cutting back). He takes naps. He is better in the car (not perfect, still periods of screaming, but much better). And, I will save the best news for last: HE SLEEPS AT NIGHT! That's right, he SLEEPS! And there are no words for how awesome this development has proven to be. He, like his brother used to, sets his OWN bedtime. There is no question as to when he is tired; he has been going down around 7pm or so for the past couple of weeks. And...for the last week or so, he has been sleeping until 5:30 - 6:00 am. We have to go in there a couple of times to soothe him...but nothing major. This. Is. Amazing. :)

Duncan has been rolling from belly to back for a while now...and he will roll from back to belly occasionally, but he'd much rather just NOT be on his back. Ever. He likes to show us his new trick of getting up on all fours...and even rocking a bit. Yep, our little man might be crawling sooner rather than later. I swear he was never really a newborn! He doesn't really take his paci and has finally gotten the hang of getting his fingers into his mouth, which he has been trying to do for quite a while. He prefers two fingers in his mouth to his paci, and has often grabbed the paci out of his mouth and tossed it away. He's a boy who knows what he wants.

He likes to coo and have conversations...this is when he is the most content -- when someone is paying attention to him and only him. He loves watching his brother play or be silly, but don't you dare distract yourself from the task at hand: entertaining D. He wants all eyes on him at all times.

So happy four-month birthday little baby blue eyes. We love you and are absolutely complete with you in our family!

Sleeping Beauties

2011-11-15T14:20:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures of my favorite sleeping boys.

We went out to breakfast this past Sunday...Duncan sat on my lap and played on the table for most of the meal (he SO is not a "baby baby" and wants to grow up way too fast). But then he started fussing so I laid him in his carseat and after a couple of minutes he drifted off. Unusual for him, but oh so cute.

And this I received today via text from Ashley...apparently this is how G chose to take his naptime. Yesterday he refused a nap, and by bedtime he could barely keep his eyes open. Whatever it takes to get some shut-eye, little man.

This & That

2011-11-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

I don't really have a point to this post, but thought I should post something since somehow both boys are ASLEEP and Ben is not yet home from the airport.

Had a couple pictures of Mr. Blue Eyes and a quick video of Griff - who went poopie on the potty all on his own today without any prodding (this is an accomplish-MENT)! Hope you are all having a good start of the weekend!

Cool Cats

2011-11-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Snapped a few pics of these two little twinkies this morning...I bought the boys these tracksuits a while ago, but thought Duncan had quite a while until he could fit into it (it's 12-18 mos). Today I realized I'd better get him into it before it's too late.

Love these two cute best brothers!

Horsing around

Uh oh!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I took the boys trick-or-treating on Monday. Last year Griff wasn't a big fan of the process so I was uncertain how excited he would be this year and wasn't sure it would go over well. Well, we had a ton of fun and a TON of laughs! Duncan was well-mannered and braved the chilly temps like a champ (Ashley and I took turns holding him and would switch when our shoulders started burning). Griff had a GREAT time and Ashley and I couldn't stop laughing. We got off to a rough start when, at the first house, I let go of Griff's hand and told him to walk to the door in front of me...in usual Griff fashion he began running as fast as he could in the other direction. The homeowners thought that was funny. I didn't. After that little hiccup, he had the procedure down pat. He was very appreciative and always said his "thank-you's" and even made some new friends in the process (see below).

Having some snacks before we headed out...by way of a little Halloween party w/ Ashley...complete with cupcakes!

Heading out

All I have to do is say "trick or treat" and they GIVE me candy! Awesome!

And THIS was Griff's new friend. The stone eagle (I think?) After he got his candy at this house (aka "animal snacks"...he kept insisting we were going to the houses to get "animal snacks") he dropped to his belly to have a chat with this bird. After a few words, a pet, and a kiss (no kidding) he hopped up. Ashley and I were laughing...so he thought it was the perfect time to show us just how funny he could be. He proceeded to grab a handful of leaves from the bush...and he began to EAT them. Now to Griff, if animals don't eat fish they usually eat trees. So, he clearly informed us that he WAS an animal, and thus, was eating a TREE. "Mmmm, yum, I eat this tree." I freaked - who knew what kind of leaves they were - and began cleaning out his mouth while trying to wipe away tears of laughter...Griff was grinning and was SO proud of himself that he strutted the rest of the street. After all, he did eat a TREE. Yikes!

Do you think they'll still see me if I hide down here?

And after we pulled into the driveway we realized he had surreptitiously unwrapped a sucker and was going to town. Successful trick-or-treating. Tonight he raided his candy bag and I told him he could eat anything he wanted. True to his nature, he pulled out the bag of pretzels and happily ate all of them. Apparently Kit Kats, Nerds, Snickers, and Sweet Tarts are not appropriate animal snacks. Good to know.

Rough Patch

2011-10-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a little Duncan update...in my last post about my littlest man we were starting his rice cereal, and hoping that was going to help him get some more rest at night (and perhaps give mommy a little bit, too). Well...since then it's been up and down. After we started him on the cereal we went a few nights without a "nighttime" feeding (meaning he didn't eat between the hours of 9pm or 6am). That being said, it definitely didn't mean we weren't up with him - multiple times - between those hours. I think (and it's fuzzy) that he's eaten in the night three times since we've started the cereal...and usually around 3 - 4am and only when he has been absolutely inconsolable. We've had some interesting nighttime events...including last Friday night I went in to soothe him and found him only in his diaper...he went to bed wearing full-body pj's, and though they were new they weren't too big. The pj's were in the crib with him...still fully snapped around the legs. Ben was home that night, and both of us absolutely do not remember undressing baby D...so how he got himself completely out of his j's is a complete mystery. But he was definitely naked. And NOT happy about it, either. I continue to [try] and be positive, and I continue to hope that at some point very soon little D will realize that sleep is pretty darn awesome. He is, after all, eating cereal now three times a day. He can't get enough food. He is seriously one hun-gry child. I just hate to see him so unhappy, at whatever time of day, and wish I knew how to fix it. I know time will help and soon this will all be forgotten...but I'd rather that be sooner than later.

During the day we also have our ups and downs with Dunc. As you can see from the video above, Duncan does not like to be anywhere, really, other than in someone's arms or lap. Quite honestly he bears a severe dislike for any type of device that doesn't involve human contact...the bumbo, the highchair (unless there is a constant stream of cereal into his mouth) and he likes tummy time but not for too long. I guess you could say he just very social?

Anyway the days and nights have been kind of rough around here the past few weeks...Ben has been traveling a lot (trials, other work travel) and work for me has been slammed. I can't complain, as with this economy we are so very fortunate that our jobs are busy. And to say that we're "lucky" to have Ashley does not even begin to properly explain how much she does for me and the boys. But there have been mornings that after getting in the car and heading out I have forgotten exactly to which courthouse I am headed...and I've had to make some illegal u-turns because I have been heading in the absolute wrong direction. I've been in the Starbucks drive-through a couple mornings really needing some coffee and breakfast only to realize my wallet is sitting on the kitchen table. Last week I remembered Duncan's therapy appointment 45 minutes before it was to start (and given the distance, that certainly wasn't enough time to make it happen). Emails go unanswered, both work and personal. Griffin has started to expect dinner to come by mom bringing home a box or a bag or the doorbell ringing. I haven't been able to get regular runs or work-outs in and have felt really lazy in that regard. I even ordered paper towels online because we were out and I didn't have a chance to hit Target (no worries, I am loving Amazon's awesome discounts and free shipping so it was a great deal, but nonetheless I have to say it is a first for me). Basically, I have not felt I have been getting what I need to get done at home or at work, and I have not felt like I am doing either job up to my own standards.

But then I have a night like tonight where, after a very long day of work, some exhausting trick-or treating, a fussy evening from Dunc, and a two-year old on a sugar high, I turn and see this:

And my heart melts. How could it not, when looking at that sleeping angel face?

And then I realize, again, that I get to experience my everyday with two absolutely awesome little incomparable souls...THIS is life. I get to be their MOM. It will get easier, and though we will still have these patches where things are crazy, this is the fun stuff and this is where we make all of our memories. And I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world...not even a full night's sleep. :)

CLCC Halloween Brunch and Pumpkins

2011-10-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Friday night we carved some pumpkins with Matt and Ashley...then the adults watched a movie before Ben got home from the airport. More details on the successes...and otherwise...below.

Saturday morning Auntie Kayla, Uncle Eric and Mason came up for a visit and we headed to the CLCC kiddo Halloween brunch. We had a great time eating some good kid-friendly & SCARY food and even dancing with a DJ! Both Mason and Griffin did the twist, the hokey pokey...you name it. They rocked it out for sure.

Mama and her little Griff Shark

Mama and Duncan...Duncan's costume got a little warm. :)

Auntie Kayla and Nemo D!

Mmmm....shark snack!

Mason eating some scary GREEN mac n chs (they also had worm hot dogs...scary idea...but for practical purposes, a bit of a choking hazard as G and I learned the hard way)!

Nemo took a little nap in Daddy's arms

Griffin's Buzz Pumpkin! (Easiest one to carve by far!)

Mom cranked out a standard scary-faced pumpkin after an epic FAIL of an attempt at a Woody pumpkin. Too many little lines required + no "real" pattern - the little carving tools = one Woody punkin that just didn't work out. :(

We tried for a pic of the boys in costume on the couch together. Mason definitely wasn't having it, and Griff had turned the camera to a weird setting...but, you get the gist. They sure were cuties! :)

Punkin Patch

2011-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

We headed to the pumpkin patch last weekend with Liz and Claire. Griff had a blast, because this punkin patch has it all...including (oddly, I know) giraffes, tigers, zebras...and the like. Griff's favs were the giraffes and the tigers...but he also got to ride a "horse" again! And, we all know G LOVES to see animals eat, so he was definitely into giving them "animal snacks". Duncan hung out with Momma in the baby bjorn and even got to take a snuggle nap. All in all a great morning!

Griff's "horse" was the only one that was a teensy bit rambunctious...and it was hard for Momma to keep up as these "horses" MOVED!

Feeding the deer

Baby Piggies

Baby Tigers!

Zebras...

And D taking his snuggle nap on Auntie Liz while the rest of us went and grabbed some people snacks...and apple cider doughnuts...YUM!

And after the long day, Dunc fell asleep doing his tummy time. Being little is hard work!

Sharing

2011-10-23T06:24:00.001-07:00

This morning while cozing in Mama's bed, Griff decided D was chilly so he put his beloved blankie ("baby") on Duncan's head. And he left it there while readjusting it periodically to make Duncan "not sad" (G's words). Big brotherly love. So sweet!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Hungry, Hungry Baby!

2011-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our three-month check-up with the pediatrician today. Three months isn't a standard appointment, but we went in so we could chat with Dr. Collins about Duncan's reflux, physical therapy for his neck, and SLEEPING (I added that last one to the list). :)

As it turns out, Mr. Duncan weighs in at a quite healthy 15 lbs 10 oz. As far as percentiles/charts go...according to the Doctor he is "off the charts." We didn't get a height today, as it wasn't a "real" well-baby appointment so we will wait for the 4-month checkup to see how tall our little man is. However, Dr. Collins did use the word "tank" to describe my littlest several times throughout the appointment. The good news is that his reflux is WAY better and the Zantac is helping (we knew this). More good news is that his neck is getting better and his flat spot is nearly gone (we also knew this from physical therapy). More good news is that although Dunc is a "tank," and he is off the charts weight-wise, he is not gaining too much weight and is not chunky...she said he is a solid & proportionate guy who just has an appetite due to his rapid growth. This led into our discussion of his dislike for sleeping at night and apparent need to CONSTANTLY eat. Her opinion was - he's hungry. Gee that was easy! Her suggestion was to try rice cereal. Now, I am a follow-the-doctor's-advice type of mommy. I followed the pediatrician's advice to the letter with Griffin. And with Griff, I was told to start him on rice cereal at four months...and no sooner. And when I was told this with Griff, I was also given the schpeel about new recommendations for starting babies on solilds even later...as some docs were saying six months to start. So, I fed Griff rice cereal at 4 months and went from there. Given Duncan's sleeping problems and very large appetite, rice cereal had crossed my mind. And, you know who you are (MOM)...I was told more than once during a frustrated phone call after a looong night to give cereal a shot - that it may satisfy his tummy and help him sleep longer. I responded to this advice that I wouldn't do that until he was old enough to have solids. Our new pediatrician, who I believe I have been very clear about (LOVE her!) gave me the go ahead. Would I try it? Yes, PLEASE!

So I stopped on the way home and bought some rice cereal. And I checked on the blog back to the day we started Griff on the cereal (love this blog for many reasons...not only does it make for awesome baby books for the boys...but it is also a great tool for me to go back and remember what I did with G, when, and what worked/didn't). My post about Griffin's first solids brought back the memories -- Griff hated the cereal and it took us a few tries to get him to even get it down. So after Griff was in bed I set out to give Duncan his first taste of some solid food. And guess what? He could not get enough of it...as you will see from the pictures below (snapped, sorry, with my cell phone so they are not the best) he was angry. And not because he didn't know what the cereal was...not because he couldn't figure out how to get it down...but simply because I was not feeding it to him FAST enough. When I would take the spoon out of his mouth to get more...he would shove his hand in his mouth in an attempt to get the excess. Then he would cry until he got more. And let me tell you...I haven't made rice cereal in a while (clearly), so I had to keep adding more cereal, then more formula, then more cereal...you get the picture...until I had made it the right consistency. So the end result was that I made a LOT of cereal. I kind of chided myself beforehand for "wasting" so much of it. HA! Duncan ate it all. In record time. And after, he was so stinkin' angry that there wasn't any more I had to immediately feed him his bottle on the spot, without even taking him out of the high chair.

And following the epic belly-stuffing, he and I exchanged a lot of smiles and coos. He didn't spit up a single drop. I changed him into his jammies...put him in his crib...and after about 45 seconds he was asleep.

Can you tell I am extremely hopeful?

I am also scared my optimism is going to jinx it all..and that he will be up with a stomachache all night.

But I haven't heard a peep and as I type this he's been out for an hour and a half. So...here's hopin. You can do it, my "little" tank. And Mom, I really hope you were right...and as you are well aware, it takes a LOT for me to say that. ;)

C'mon, Mom, can you not be a little quicker?

And after the cereal...ALL of the cereal...he pounded six ounces. The boy is going to be in toddler sizes before he hits six months!

And just because I am feeling positive...here's proof that D CAN sleep in the car!

This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us....

2011-10-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

OR MAYBE IT IS! :)

Duncan is Three Months Old!

2011-10-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well "little" baby Duncan is THREE months old! He's come a long way in the last month...for starters, since we've been giving him Zantac for his reflux he's a much happier little boy. He also learned to roll in the past month...both ways...and is really, really wanting to sit up by himself. He can scoot from one end of his crib to another and turn himself around to face the opposite way. And, as I have posted before, he is growing at what seems like a lightning pace. I don't have any official stats yet, as our appointment with the pediatrician isn't until tomorrow afternoon but I am very interested to see just what those stats are.

Duncan is getting better in the car...we removed the strap covers and the head support and that seemed to make a positive difference. Now instead of screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time he is in the car, he merely cries about half of the time, and actually falls asleep once in a while. So I am hoping that we are on the upswing with this - otherwise, we won't be leaving the house much for the next few months!

Sleeping-wise, Dunc is not doing great. We have gotten him to sleep from 8:30 - 3am...but sparingly. I am only feeding him once in the "night", so he does not get used to a lot of grub during the nighttime - but there is still a LOT of getting up to soothe. He really likes to sleep from about 7pm to around 10 or 11...so I am hoping to try to keep him awake more during those hours and see if it makes a difference. Let's just say when I see others post on Facebook that their babies, born within days of Duncan, are sleeping 10-11 hours at night without interruption...I get a little frustrated and a LOT jealous. But, this seems to be the way of the Pucci boys...they just DON'T like to sleep when they are little...and we can only hope that the proverbial "light switch" goes off with Duncan like it did with Griff! And again, this will also be a topic for tomorrow's pediatrician visit! :)

Personality-wise, we get a lot of giggles and laughs from baby D. He loves watching Griffin (even today, when Griffin was having a meltdown right next to him, Duncan turned to him and laughed...I was amused but don't think G appreciated it much). And he absolutely loves being the center of attention - funny, they both have that in common! He is usually pretty happy to just sit and be talked to, and he now is talking back or at least giving it his best effort. But if you sit him down to do something else (like feed Griff...empty the dishwasher...any other little household task) LOOK OUT. Duncan does not appreciate being ignored. He simply will not have it. Why am I not surprised?!? But he generally gets his way, at least with his momma; all he has to do is turn those big baby blues on me and I am toast.

I know it sounds cliche, but I just can't remember life without TWO little boys in our house and we wouldn't want it any other way. I can't wait (well I guess I can, I don't want to wish away their "little-ness") until they are running and playing with each other. I hope they are the best of friends...because they are both truly awesome little souls!

Duncan Giggles

2011-10-16T18:40:00.001-07:00

Sorry that it is sideways...and also for my annoying voice. :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Halloween Comparison

2011-10-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Duncan spit up on his outfit so I went and grabbed another...and I just happened to grab these Halloween PJ's that Grandma Cathy had gotten Griffin back in 2009. Well, here are a couple of pictures for comparison; Griffin (first) is SIX months...and Duncan (second) is THREE months. I promise, boys, that I won't always draw comparisons between the two of you but right now it's easy...and pretty darn cute. So I will continue, for now. :)

Griff at Six Months

Dunc at Three Months

Mason's First Birthday Party

2011-10-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

These past couple of weeks have brought some special birthdays, including two very special FIRST birthdays -- baby Erin and baby Mason! Guess we can't really call them "babies" anymore but it sure does not seem like a year has flown by for either of them! Erin's party was a week before Mason's, but due to the length of the trip and Ben being on trial we were unable to make it...Mason's was closer (he, Auntie Kayla and Uncle Eric live in Champaign now) and it was a 3-day weekend so we were able to make it work. So...Happy Birthday to both Erin and Mason...we love you both!

Due to Duncan's very apparent dislike of the carseat, car, and anything to do with driving...we re-configured the carseats and moved Griff to the WAY back (the third row). He thought that was pretty awesome and was chanting "WAY BACK! WAY BACK!"). And, with me sitting in the backseat with Duncan, D actually didn't cry until the last 45 minutes or so of the trip..and for him...that is a success!

We had a great time with everyone at the party celebrating Mason's Number One...then we spent the night (thanks to Gma Cathy for staying up with D!!!) and the next morning we went to a pumpkin patch where G's dreams came true and he rode a HORSE (okay, a pony) but nonetheless he was in heaven. Horses are the animal of the moment, I would say. They're at least tied with "orca whales", and that is saying a lot! :) We might have to get G into riding lessons or something of that nature.

Other than this little weekend trip we really haven't been up to much. Ben's been gone during the weekdays, Duncan is still not sleeping well (or very much at all) at night, I've been back to work full time for a while, and Griff is still his very active little self...so to say the least, the Pucci household is an interesting place to be right now! Though I have seriously considered taking a nap on the couch in my office many, many times (and actually fell asleep with my head in my hands at my desk for a few minutes this week) I wouldn't trade it for the world as each and every day these two boys amaze me, make me laugh, and just generally make me feel very lucky to get to be in their lives every day. We have the rest of our lives to sleep, right?

I'll have more updates on baby Duncan (who, by the way, is not only a rockstar on his tummy...holding himself up BIG TIME...but is also rolling both ways, scooting the length of his crib and turning around, and very much acting like he wants to crawl...he is also wearing clothes at almost 3 months that Griff was wearing at 6-8 months. I really feel like he is going to climb out of his crib, walk into my room and ask me what is for breakfast any morning now) next week when I take him back to see his pediatrician for a check-up. My little man is growing way too fast...not only has he skipped clothing sizes altogether, but I can't even buy a big box of diapers because he is busting through diaper sizes, too. It's crazy!

Gma Cathy, Big Boy Mason, and Baby Duncan

One year old!

Mason absolutely despised wearing his birthday hat...but Griff didn't mind

What? I didn't do it...

Feeding the goats by hand!

Riding "HIS" horse. This was absolutely his moment.

Daddy walked beside him but this cowboy needed no help holding on!

It's like the El for goats!

Beautiful fall day...

They made it out of the corn maze...with souveniers of corncobs for G to explore

And last but not least, Griff in his "special seat..." that's right, folks, in the WAY BACK, WAY BACK!

Some Fall Pics...A Preview...

2011-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

We took some fall pictures today (Ben as photographer!). We aren't done taking of Duncan yet, so there are more of Griff below than D - more of D will be coming as well as more of the ones we took today that I really like. There were a TON to sort through!

Baby Songs

2011-09-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Griffin and I have a bit of a new nighttime routine. Lately, he has been WIRED before bed and is literally bouncing off of the walls. So, in order to try to get him to calm down a little before bed, I have been laying down with him in his bed and asking him if he wants me to sing him songs. Specifically, I ask if he'd like me to sing him a "baby song;" this, to Griff, means a lullaby. And it's been working like a charm! He gets calm, lays next to me and says "yes, peez." And if my head is not on the pillow he will pat the pillow next to his head and pull my head toward it. And while I sing him his "baby song" he watches me intently with a little smile on his face the entire time. And when the song is over he smiles wider and asks "one more time" (which sounds so sweet as "one mo tym?"). It melts my heart every time I hear that, and as a result, we generally go through a LOT of "baby songs." Sometimes we make them up, and he specifically likes any baby song that I insert his name into, often requesting "baby song with GiGi in it."

Griffin is so full of imagination and joy that it is unbelievable. Today, when he woke up, he proclaimed that he was a "hippo po mas." Before I had left for work, he had been a snake, a hippo, a whale, a "roar" (dinosaur, tiger or lion, pick your pleasure), a dog, a giraffe/hippo who likes chocolate milk, and a cat. And I hear from Ms. Ashley that he has also been crawling around like an animal AND that he pooped on the potty today like an animal! (I know this sounds odd, as animals specifically DON'T poop on the potty, but we have been having some difficulty for some time now with poopy on the potty...so we insist to Griff that hippos, whales, doggies, cats, giraffes, baby ducks, chicks, snakes, cows, and horses poop on the potty so he must, too!).

I can't wait to spend my weekend with my silly shape-changing animal and his little brother. I can't help but wonder how Duncan is going to make us laugh when he's a little older. If Griffin's imagination is any indication, we are in for some fun!

Preacher

2011-09-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last night as the Atkinsons were leaving we were out on the porch and couldn't help but notice a pretty HUGE praying mantis on the side of the house. Since Griff was already in bed we decided to house the bug for the night so he could check it out in the morning...thus we named him Preacher (he is a praying mantis after all), and put him in a container with some leaves and water. And today after Ben got home (I was honestly too creeped out by this bug to handle show-n-tell on my own) Griff got to check him out. And, the boy that he is, he loved it. And when G was done checking out Mr. Preacher, we let him go right where we found him...which Griff wasn't very happy about, but we told him Preacher guards our house. He wasn't satisfied with that, but we distracted him...

Videos at the bottom. :) Griff absolutely LOVES to see animals eat, so that was his favorite part. Eat, bug, eat more, eat!

As you can see, Ben let Preacher crawl ALL over him...

Back home

Bye Bye! Thanks for the lesson...

Go Bears!

2011-09-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Just a cute couple pics of Dunc and Griff in their jerseys! By the way, Dunc's jersey is a 6-12 months and I could barely get it over his bottom. That's right - he pretty much skipped the 3-6 month size...which made me super pleased as I had just revamped his drawers with the 3-6 month clothing supply...he is growing like a WEED. But, with that is starting to come a little bit more predictability. Dunc is really loving his crib (hallelujah) and is sleeping for some good chunks in it for daytime naps. At night, he is still getting up a couple of times to eat, but has been known to give us a 4 hour stretch, and even a 4.5 hour stretch once. So, we are getting there. Slowly but surely he is sleeping better for us. And I am loving it. Sleep + Zantac = a happy Duncan, which, in turn, equals a happy mama!

Species

2011-09-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our recent addition to the family (no, not Duncan -- the iPad), Griffin now differentiates between species of animals. Today he picked up his killer whale (previously known of course only as "whale") and proclaimed it was an "ORCA whale."

And the next time a Quetzal lands in our yard, you betcha he will know that by name, too (guess it gets kind of hard for the app-makers to think of animals that begin with "Q")....

If Duncan Can't Use It...

2011-09-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Griff apparently thinks he can!

Congrats Matt & Ashley!

2011-09-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend...Gma Cathy and Great Gma Lea came up, Matt and Ashley got married, and Ben and I had a (whole) night out! We had an awesome time at the wedding...it was nice to be able to have some adult time...and now the boys and I are getting ready for a week without Ben (who is in San Francisco this week). Sounds like he's going to be gone quite a bit in the next few weeks so let's hope my two little men make it easy on their mama!

Mr & Mrs!

Waiting for the wedding to start..wedding was during naptime so Griff didn't make much of the ceremony and instead (according to Daddy) attempted to knock Mary off of her pedestal as well as [allegedly] thought about throwing rock through a stained glass window. Let's just say Griff soon went home to the grandmas! :)

On the way to the reception

Overserved? Perhaps. But we were dancing machines! Had such a great time with a fun group of people.

And just a cute pic of Griff and Ben earlier this week. Griff saw Ben in his hat and requested his own "like Dad."

Duncan is Two Months Old!

2011-09-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well...my baby is officially two months old! We saw our (new) pediatrician this week...and let me tell you, I'm pretty positive that the staff at our ped's office aren't big fans of me because I BUGGED them incessantly so I could get in with the ped I wanted - who wasn't taking new patients. Well, there's a reason she was booked...because she is really great. Finally! A pediatrician that I click with. I'm incredibly pleased. And, because life with Duncan has been...trying...it was an appointment that I was waiting for. For starters, she speculated that Duncan suffered from "silent reflux." And she told us to try baby Zantac for a couple of weeks to see if it helped at all...and I never want to jinx any baby behavior (sleeping through the night...sleeping at all...liking new foods...I was always careful at bragging about any of that with Griff - it is kind of like saying that traffic isn't bad, and then you run into the major jam!)...BUT - since we started the Zantac, D has been a different baby. Before, honestly, when he wasn't sleeping he was fussing a lot of the time. Now? We get periods of happiness! Smiles! Giggles! Coos! I am loving it.

Dr. Collins also noticed that Duncan preferred to look to one side and that he had a little flat spot. So, her edicts were: no more swing, no more bouncy, no sleeping on back, and no swaddling. I think Julie said it best when I told her this: "Um, does she know he's a baby?" Ha! Thus since Monday, we have dismantled the swing, put away the bouncy, and D has been sleeping in his crib on his side (getting him to stay that way is a challenge, to say the least). But I am happy to report that he is adapting to those sudden and drastic changes pretty well. Mom and Dad are having a little harder time...just figuring out where D should hang out when we need to get things done while he is awake...but we are managing. His doc actually wanted us to see a physical therapist, too...and today was our first PT appointment. She gave us some stretches and ideas, and praised us for being proactive in tackling this early. Her take was that his neck is a little tighter on one side, possibly from his reflux and also likely because he was such a big boy and was cramped in utero. We are going to meet with her weekly, but she assured me that she thinks our PT run will be short. I have to admit that after the appointment with the doc earlier this week, I was upset; after today's appointment, however, I feel much better. The therapist actually said a lot of pediatricians wouldn't have even noticed - and I'm glad ours did.

Our two month photo shoot started out with some grumpies...but got a little better :)

We don't leave him like this for long..and not unattended...but he's pretty darn cute curled up in there. :)

Update on Baby Duck Box...

2011-09-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

And this morning...G walked out of his room with his Baby Duck Box...and it had contents...his precious "baby" (what he calls his blankie). "My baby IN baby duck box, Mom." :)

Baby Duck Box

2011-09-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

So...Griff still loves baby ducks ("gucks"). Tonight when we were hopping into his bed for our bedtime routine I noticed that there was a little something unusual in his bed...a formula box. I asked him about it and was told, as if I were an idiot, "it's my baby duck box." Silly Mommy! Guess I hadn't really paid much attention to the baby duck on the front of the box but apparently Griff did. And I'd given Ben credit for taking it off the counter to the recycling...nope, Griff had stashed it away in his bed for later. I thought it was cute, and then I tried to take it downstairs with me when G requested "light OFF!" but Griff would have none of it. Thus, as I type this he is upstairs sleeping with...among other favorites...his baby duck box.

Silly Boys

2011-09-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post some cute pics of the boys....

We are [finally] getting some smiles from sweet Duncan here and there, which in turns makes us smile :)

And Griffin's new "feat?" Climbing into the pack n play in one fell swoop...there is really no climbing involved...he just catapults himself over the side.

Once he gets in, he proclaims he is going "nigh nigh" and covers himself up. Getting out, however, is not quite so easy and generally involves our assistance.

Very proud of himself. And at first we thought it was quite funny...now I think the novelty has worn off for us, G-man. :)

Mini Vaca

2011-09-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

The boys, Ashley and I took a mini-vaca the week before I headed back to work. We had hit the Brookfield Zoo, which was a lot of fun...but Griff decided, since he is a pretty big animal fan, that we should go to ANOTHER zoo in the same week. So we headed to Milwaukee for a couple of days and had some hotel fun and had a great time at the Milwaukee Zoo - by far our favorite zoo. The animals were all out and were all active. And we were able to see so many of them up close & personal. We had a fantastic time and Griff talked about it for days.

Duncan and Momma being silly

"Hi, elephants!"

Clearly a favorite! :) Griff saw hippos both in and outside, and was able to convince the inside hippo not to be scared to swim. He called it "GG's hippo".

Up close and personal with this ROAR!

Baby chicks...close to his fav baby DUCKS ("gucks"). When you're older I will tell you about my discussion with the zookeeper when I tried to convince her to let you hold one of the chicks, Griff. I will not type it here...a bit disturbing. :)

Outside HEEPOS!

The three of us

Out to eat. Griff sat down and proclaimed "MULK!" to the waiter. He's a boy who knows what he wants.

He loved the hotel set-up too. Muffins and Cars 2. This is the life.

My Littlest

2011-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is a very common sight in our house. :)

And now for a little Duncan blog-love! My littlest man is sure giving us a run for our money. Gone are the days where Dunc only cried when hungry...now my baby cries - well, I don't know, maybe just to hear himself. He does not really love the swing. Nor does he love pacis. Bouncy seat? Sometimes. Stroller? Very infrequently these days. Being held? Yep, 75% of the time he's cool with that unless he is really mad. Then, nothing really helps. I have pulled out the Baby Bjorn and in the evenings when it is just me and the kiddos D is frequently in it...cause I need hands to take care of his big brother. We have switched formulas. It's pretty much the same. He does not like to go very long between feedings...3 hours during the day if he is in a good mood, 2 hours if he is not. And at night there is no predictability. Let's just say Ben is out of town this week, and this morning I could not find my wallet...I asked Ashley if she had seen it. She said she sure had - it was in the pantry on the shelf. Um, okay. Sleep deprivation perhaps?? I think maybe so. And he's only got a few more days until mommy goes back to work...so, please, please D...sleep for momma! I'm really hoping that the magic "light switch" goes off soon and the fussiness at least subsides...or maybe we will be able to figure out how to soothe him. But he's just so darn cute that it is hard to stay frustrated for too long. He's even pretty adorable when he is crying! So, when you're older and read this, Duncan, please remember to call your mother. I deserve it! :)

Another Masterpiece

2011-08-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today Griff was again sitting at the table doing art...then he started to roar at his paper. No big deal, he just drew a dinosaur. Seriously!!!!!

Zoo Fun

2011-08-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we packed up and headed to Brookfield Zoo with Claire...and D, Ashley, G and I as well. Griff still can't stop talking about his experience. I love seeing him get so into something. Amazing!

These two are in their own wolf pack!

Griff's third favorite animals? BABY DUCKS! He saw a baby duck on a commercial the other day...was mesmerized...then when it went away he exclaimed "baby duck, come BACK!" Then when it didn't, he burst into tears. So he thought for a second and then grabbed my laptop and brought it to me requesting "baby ducks, please." So I obliged. G now loves him some baby ducks.

Seeing what else? The HIPPO!!!! We also saw a "baby hippo" (pygmy). Griff is still talking about the BIG hippo and the BABY hippo.

Dolphins (he can differentiate now) :) He even handled the dolphin show...all with no nap! He enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the music (which he headbanged to - cracked Ashley and I up immensely).

Pre-zoo lunch - being silly

Crazy hat head and crazier G-spression!

Cheese! (I can only get him to give me good "cheeses" now with bribes). This one? I bribed him with going to see the animals sooner...if he'd cheese. That, or cookies. Seems to be working lately....

Little Artist

2011-08-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was in the kitchen cooking Griff some breakfast and he was, not surprisingly, at his place at the kitchen table drawing. Not coloring, DRAWING...as he will quickly correct you. He said "mom, I drew whales." I responded that was awesome, let me see (thinking I would just see some lines, etc. as I should see from a two-year old's "drawing"). What I saw was below. He actually drew some pretty darn good whales complete with fins and eyes, in my humble (and yes, biased) opinion. And it is so unbelievable watching him do it. He concentrates so hard on each one, makes the circles, fins, and then at the very end says..."hmmm...eye" and dots the whale with the eye. And the big blue mark-outs...those are where he did not like how his whale was turning out, so he said "no" and marked it out.

I think this may be something that runs in the family...Grandpa Tom is a pretty good artist (and has painted some work that hangs in both our house and Deanna's), and Ben of course has drawn quite a few sketches for both of the boys rooms...and now Griff. I really think he has it. And he can sit for an hour or more and just draw. Pretty impressive for his age. This one is going in a frame. I am one proud momma!

Luckiest

2011-08-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm the luckiest Mom in the world...my two-year old baby boy is the sweetest and the most fun I have ever had...and the fun is only going to continue because I have a six-week old who undoubtedly will follow in his footsteps. Can't believe it gets better! Hanging out this morning after being pulled away from blogging with a little hand in mine and a "come ON MOM!" And after my little artist (wait until you see a later post of what he drew - entirely on his own!) drew all over the kitchen rug..and when I said we had to show daddy and talk about it he said "um, no, BYE" and went and hid with his blankie...and after taking him potty and getting a 5-minute cuddle sessions beforehand complete with kisses, hugs and snuggles (he may have just been avoiding the potty but I don't care)...and after he ran around the house in circles singing "dinosaur train! dinosaur train! we gonna RIDE RIDE RIDE RIDE RIDE...the dinosaur train"...and after he said "oh, no - cold!" and made sure his brother's feet were covered up in the swing...and after he hit his leg and exclaimed "oh, bumpers!"...and after he danced to his favorite song "animal sounds" and went to Tucker and explained all of the animal sounds that he knew...and after he pointed out Duncan's "boo eyes", Mommy's "boo eyes" and then his own "boo eyes" while clarifying that they were "all same." So many memorable moments and it is not even lunchtime!
And the other day before Mommy's run we were in the potty trying to do a poopy...this has become quite a challenge as of late...so in order to make it fun we (I) decided to put undies and shorts on our head and sing songs about poopies. Don't judge, we laughed a lot. :) And though he looks unhappy in this pic it was only because he didn't want to stop running around and singing to "cheese."

So many pics for his wedding montage and he's only two. Love it.

Interacting

2011-08-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Although Duncan is still doing a lot of this (during the day, that is):

He is now also interacting a bit more with us, and giving smiles and even coos!

Rainforest Cafe

2011-08-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday we decided we needed to get out of the house for a bit...so we headed into Schaumburg to the Rainforest Cafe for some lunch. Griff hadn't yet been, and needless to say it was a HIT. We sat by the fish and he was in heaven...surprisingly, he actually ate (some) and was very happy to take a few laps around the restaurant checking everything out.

He couldn't take his eyes off of everything to look at the camera, this was as close as we got!

Up in the Tree II

2011-08-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Gma Kris, Gpa Tom and Griff were in the yard playing with Griff's big ball. Gma was serving the ball into the tree and Griff would laugh when it would come out...well, as we feared, the ball got caught in the tree. In order to get it down, Gpa Tom threw Griff's rake at it. Unfortunately, the rake also got caught in the tree. We thought all was lost until Gpa Tom had a great idea and got the hose - putting it on "power wash" - and both items fell from the tree. Griff thought that was pretty awesome and had to spray some more up for good measure. Lots of laughs.

Oh no!Spraying

Just to make sure...

Smiles

2011-08-17T05:30:00.001-07:00

We've gotten some real smiles from Duncan lately...here's the closest I could get a shot of this morning.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Duncan is ONE MONTH Old!

2011-08-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's strange because it definitely doesn't feel like a month since Duncan was born...like time has flown...but on the other hand, it's hard to remember being without him! But...regardless...our littlest man is ONE MONTH old! And he is our littlest, but he is definitely bigger than Griff at the same age. D was nearly 10 pounds at his two-week checkup...and given his eating habits (i.e. very often) the past two weeks I'm quite sure he easily exceeds 11 pounds at this point. He's wearing clothes that G wore at 3 months...and he is very sturdy and STRONG - he has amazing head control and has even rolled over...(though I'm sure it was a fluke) but he rolled from tummy to back last week. When he is asleep he looks like Griff...but after we took these pictures this morning we all thought he looks nothing like his big brother! He is definitely his own person...and as I said, eats quite a bit and his sleeping habits are...spotty. :) Let's just say we do not want to wish away his babyhood...but I could stand a little sleeping through the night!

Here are a few pictures of my little cutie bug, and a few of he and his brother (who is still doing very well with him).

Kisses!

A-MOS!

2011-08-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Griff loves animals. Of course he has his favorites, but really, he just loves animals in general. The end of this week finally cooled off enough (and I use the phrase "cooled off" loosely!) for us to leave the house with Duncan...so we went to the petting zoo, Griff's fav. And today we headed to the County Fair to check out even MORE animals.

Griff was mesmerized by the dairy goats...hooked up to the milking machines. I'm pretty sure he was concerned for their safety.

And before Duncan was born, G and I were at Gap. This is one of the shirts Griff HAD to purchase...("whale!") but since it happened to be in a tiny size Duncan inherited it. And Griff was impressed that D wore it today.

He walked around to all of the rabbits and inquired "how are you, hop hop?"

Mommy & Griff teeter totter time. This was after the swings...where all Griff could tell me was "mo mo high!" as clearly I could NOT push him high enough. Seriously. I could NOT physically push him high enough for his liking. Daredevil.

After checking out one of his favs, the cow...and doing a lot of petting her on her nose.

Greeting the ducks

The crabs & the frogs were also favs

And, Duncan slept through the petting zoo AND the fair today. Oh well. There's next year!

Cheesing in his awesome new Mater shirt from Auntie Honey. I had to be very sneaky to get this one off of him at bedtime. And this was after he had slept in it the night before because he refused to take it off. Needless to say this is a favorite!

Sweetie Pie

2011-08-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Big Bro/Little Bro Shirts

2011-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Griffin and Duncan have been the lucky recipients of some pretty adorable big bro/little bro shirts as of late. Below are the ones that Auntie Kayla brought them - personalized with their names! And the pics of Griff from the hospital visits show the ones that Ashley got them - complete with last names on the back for identification - "Pucci 1" and "Pucci 2", of course! :)

These two are spoiled. Pretty stinkin' cute, but still spoiled!

And at this point G was finished with photo shoots...he's had quite a few lately and I've so far been very impressed at how he sits fairly well and "cheeses". Duncan does, too...but he has far fewer choices!

Duncan's First Week

2011-07-24T06:49:00.001-07:00

Well it's been over a week since Duncan Pucci came into our lives and we've had one awesome week. When we got home from the hospital, Grandma Cathy, Auntie Kayla and Mason were there to greet us along with Auntie Honey, Grandma Kris and Grandpa Tom. Griff had a blast with Gma Kris and Gpa Tom while we were in the hospital and was excited to see everyone else. This past week Gpa Bill, Great Gpa Henry and GreatGma Lea also came to visit, and Gma Lea stayed as well for the rest of the week. Needless to say our house was kept spotless this entire week, our laundry is done, our dishes are clean and put away, Griff's toys are in order, and we enjoyed some yummy food while they were here. I can't thank my mom, sister, and Gma Lea enough for that...it's so nice to only have to worry about getting into a routine and meeting Baby D's needs while they really picked up the slack elsewhere. And before Baby Duncan's arrival, Gma Kris and Gpa Tom took on some projects around the house that made it much easier when he got here. We can't say it enough: THANK YOU!

And Baby Duncan hasn't made it too difficult. He's still a happy, mellow little guy...and...in one big aspect (so far) he is quite different from his big brother -- he SLEEPS! At NIGHT! Of course he is up for feedings, but so far, he is been so kind to us at night...eating and, in general, going back to sleep afterward. And he's rarely fussy...unless he is hungry, and then you know it for sure. He's such a little doll and we are absolutely in love. And his big brother is too. I am so impressed with how he is handling having a little one in the house...if he hears D cry...he exclaims "oh no, my baby!" and runs to see what is going on (usually, it's only a diaper change). And he loves to shower Duncan with kisses. One morning G got up and Duncan was in our room...Ben went to get Griff to go downstairs for his morning routine of "mulk" and a show. Griff would have none of it, and only wanted to come into our room to lay with Duncan, rub his head, and give him kisses. He's gentle without us asking and so far isn't jealous; in fact one night I was laying with Griff before bedtime and we were cuddling and reading some books. After a few minutes it dawned on Griff that Duncan wasn't in my arms (a place he is quite frequently, by my choice!) and exclaimed "oh no, where's baby!?!" He is pretty enamored with his little brother Dun-Cake (his infamous "cake" suffix again to things he loves). And so are we!

Below are pictures, in absolutely NO semblance of order - some from the end of our hospital stay and the rest from the past week.

Sweet Baby Duncan

And here's Griff...so excited (can you tell from his face) because Mommy and Daddy were able to sneak away this week to take him to see CARS 2! It was his first movie and he loved the experience. We sat down and I gave him a piece of popcorn...which he held onto tightly for about 20 minutes because he couldn't tear his eyes or attention away from the screen long enough to put it in his mouth. Soon enough he was able to get to snacking, and even grabbed my diet soda (he didn't get his own drink for fear of a potty incident) and took a sip. I figured that would be the end of it...because he made quite a face. Nope. He grabbed for it again and exclaimed "more MULK!" Oops. He also exclaimed quite loudly in the theatre, sporadically, "ka-CHOW! "Whoa!" "Wow" and..when he saw an oddly shapen blue car with a pointy "nose" he exclaimed "WHALE!" We're glad the theatre wasn't crowded, and after all, it is a kids movie.

D and Daddy napping

D at his first doctor's appointment...which went very well. There wasn't much to say, as Duncan is doing very well and is well on his way to attaining his birth weight again.

Auntie Kayla holding her newest nephew

And, Griff hasn't had much of a bad week in the way of being spoiled. Gma Cathy, Gma Lea and Auntie Kayla brought him some very fun stuff...including a new counting phone he loves (he sat in the potty for quite some time just playing with it one afternoon) and he also got a new HIPPO!

Griffin greeting Baby Duncan after he got home from the hospital

My baby!

Ready to hit the road!

Very special visitors in the hospital...Matt and Ashley!!

Daddy and Griff in the hospital the day before we were able to come home

And baby Mason also made the trip from DC...here is Griff snapping a picture of Mason, with his tractor flashlight of course :)

Mason, Griff and Duncan...kind of cooperating for a photo shoot!

Sucking his thumb! Our little man, also unlike his brother, isn't much into being swaddled because he must have his hands by his face. He likes to sleep on one arm or suck his fingers. And we're okay with that, as it doesn't seem to interfere with his nighttime sleep!

G and Daddy clowning around

Gma Cathy and her three grandsons!

Snapping more photos

Great Gma Lea and her three great-grandsons

Gma Lea and the two littlest

Great Gpa Henry, Gma Lea, and Mason

Brothers

2011-07-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Yum-O!

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I was uploading this picture I realized that the last couple of posts about Griff have been about his sweet snacks...so I want to assure you that broccolli and lima beans are always the first to be finished from his plate, and he thinks that "cookies" are low-fat graham crackers... And I really, really miss my G-man since we've been staying at the hospital with his little brother, but when I see pictures like this (taken by Gma Kris after they left the meet-n-greet with Duncan) it melts my heart. What a cutie! I'm told he wore the hat his entire dinner, and even convinced other patrons that he was the man to go to if they'd like to order some steakburgers and fries.

Miracle

2011-07-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

And that's an understatement.

And this little miracle holds his own paci. Amazing.

Introducing Duncan Caldwell Pucci

2011-07-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at 7:49 a.m. we became a family of four when Duncan Caldwell Pucci made his way into the world! Duncan weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz and was 21 inches long; so far he is doing very well, as is Mom after the c-section. He looks very much like his big brother did...albeit a little bit chubbier. :) He has quite the set of pipes, but so far hasn't used them too much...he is a great eater...and we are working on a routine here in the hospital and hope to head home sometime on Monday.

At the beginning of the pregnancy I will admit I was very apprehensive about loving two...loving two as much as I do Griffin, I thought, would likely be impossible. Griff was my whole world. I was actually very uncertain; well, not surprisingly, my worries were silly. This little man has stolen our hearts in the short time we've had with him and it all feels pretty perfect. We're excited to get home in a couple of days and begin to adjust to life as a family of four!

Duncan, unlike his brother, has been (so far) a little more mellow...maybe it was the easier (planned) c-section, maybe he's just a little more go-with-the-flow. Whatever it is, we'll take it! He had his first "physical" today with his pediatrician, and she was very impressed with his muscle tone and strength as well as the rest of his vitals. He already holds his head up nearly unassisted. Newborn? Are we sure? I, for one, hope he stays little and cuddly for a while because I'm eating it up. His little bottom hasn't spent much time in the bassinet thus far, as I haven't been able to forfeit any snuggle time. We are extremely lucky and are counting our blessings.

He certainly lets you know when he is unhappy - and I wouldn't call them cries...our pediatrician was right on track when she said they are much more like stacatto screams than cries. Whatever you call them, Duncan's voice is distinctive!

A few minutes after his birth - I didn't get to see Griff so quickly so this was a great feeling for me

In the recovery room

His big brother meeting him for the first time! It went pretty well...G wanted to lay in the bed with mommy under the covers, and we obliged. He wasn't too impressed when the nurses messed with his Mom or his brother...already the protector!

Mommy & D

Mommy & her boys

It's not often that Griff is quiet, subdued and wide-eyed...he told his baby brother "hi, baby Duncake" (again, his suffix of "cake" on names of people he loves [Claire-cake, Dun-cake]...) and he got one kiss.

And how cool that baby Duncan got Griff some gifts!

Wearing his very special shirt that Ashley got him - Duncan has one too and will wear it very soon...we will get some pictures of them together for sure!

G's Monster Cupcake

2011-07-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kris got Griff his very own MONSTER cupcake this week for dessert and G had a very good (and slow, and meticulous) time eating it up.

Accessories

2011-07-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Griff has been very into entertaining himself and others with accessories lately...whether it be hats, sunglasses, old favorite toys or NEW very special toys...he's had a great time lately. Now that I have my camera, I was able to get some pictures over the weekend! :)

Daddy left his sunglasses on the table...

"Drinking" water from the water table via sucking it out of his bubble wand...despite mommy asking him repeatedly not to. Somehow he laughed each time and kept it up...listening ears must've been on the fritz for a bit.

My AIRPLANE! The past couple of days he and his American Airlines airplane (that daddy brought him from the airport a while ago) have been inseparable. And the edges of the plane are so sharp that daddy stole it during naptime and covered them in duct tape to soften them up a bit...

Cheesy "cheese" face

Helping mama water the flowers...

Watering himself a little

A little bit of a different technique: the between the legs water

He found mama's hat after the pool...

And, after Grandma Kris got him a very special toy (which will be the subject of a later post) he decided hats were cool and began wearing his hat that Auntie Liz got him a while ago.

Camera Located!

2011-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, quite a few of my blog posts (most of my blog posts) the past couple of months have included less-than-quality cell phone pictures...because I simply could not find my camera despite a lot of looking. Yesterday I told Ben that I was buying a new one...because though "we" (he) have/has a great SLR that we got in December...that just isn't going to work portability-wise with a toddler & new baby. And we have to take a lot of pics of the newest Pucci! So with the threat of my purchase looming, Ben spent some time turning the house upside down (sometimes literally...really hate when Ben looks for things as there can be a bit of an aftermath mess). We went through the questions..."where did you last have it?" "in the yard, taking pictures of G in the tree" "and you haven't had it since then?" "nope!" "what were you wearing at the time, was it cold?" "yes, it was chilly and I was wearing my pink nike pullover jacket" "and where is that?" "well, currently in the washing machine, I scoured those pockets, it was one of the first places I looked"...) And just when he had resigned himself to the fact that I got to buy a new camera today, he went through the coat closet and found my favorite little camera in the pocket of my red puffy vest. Pink nike pullover? Guess not so much. Must've been a little chillier than that!

Oops.

So here's to no more crappy cell phone pics on the blog (or at least only a few here and there) and plenty of picture-taking of G and his new little brother!

And, here are the pictures I took - in APRIL - of Griff, who was very, very keen on wanting to be "up, up!" in the tree.

The Jeep & Elusive Sleep

2011-07-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Griff's new favorite thing...topless Jeep rides. We had a lot of them last weekend and Griff was enamored. He even fell asleep in the Jeep, with no top, the wind blowing in his hair and the radio actually pretty loud. We knew that it would be all he'd get for a nap that day (more on this below), so we invented other errands to run and tried our hardest to find shade at 12 pm for us to sit in while Ben ran into places. We're even learning that we can use a Jeep ride as a bribe! :) And, it does help get out of the house faster when we need to go places if we tell G we are going in the JEEP.

And now to sleep, or the lack thereof. To say naptimes and bedtimes have been challenging lately is quite understating the issue. Our little man is taking 1 - 1.5 hours just to GET to sleep at any given time, and even then, it may be on the floor or in an odd position or naked or with several pairs of shorts/jeans that he's pulled out of his drawer and tried to put on...you get the drift. He is a master of destruction and will stop at nothing to keep himself awake - even resorting to pulling the HVAC vent out of the floor to inspect it (and hopefully I caught him before he was able to throw things down). The adjustment to the big boy bed wasn't difficult, and we thought the adjustment to his new room went off without a hitch too...but perhaps not. We're simply hoping this doesn't last long...as, believe me, we were recently gifted the eloquent "children's book" entitled "Go the F*** to Sleep"...and let's just say it memorializes a lot of my feelings in the daily effort to get Griff to a peaceful sleep. Please let this phase pass... :) And preferably before next Friday (or sooner) when we are scheduled to welcome his baby brother into this world!

Driving daddy's Jeep and loving it