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Sunday, May 30, 2010

current song of my heart.

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need

For the past month or so, we have been singing this song at our church. I love it. I love music and lyrics. And some lyrics just speak to me in certain seasons. And the statement I bolded is rough. I sputter and choke it out each time. And I'm almost positive that line always comes out squeaky from my mouth. Yet I sing, while hoping and praying that I truly believe those words: I believe You are all I need. And it makes me wonder how I would respond if my perfect, little world came crashing down.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

to the doctor we go . . .

I think we really lucked out when we found our doctor after our move to Texas. My sister's pediatrician's office made a recommendation of an office in our area and we just took it. We didn't have friends in the immediate area to ask. So we pretty much went pot luck. We wanted an office that was connected to the children's hospital because we had heard the benefits of doing so. And considering that in OKC I would get billed for after-hour calls and now I get sent directly to a nurse at the hospital (and no bill!), that's a huge benefit. So that was our only prerequisite - affiliated with the hospital. Quickly after our move we made an appointment and met Dr. E. We were pleased. She was young and seemed to really like the boys and enjoy her job. I knew nothing about her before that first appointment. I don't even think I knew her gender. So what a blessing she has been as our doctor. So today I brought my camera to our appointment so I could get a picture for the baby books and for the blog. That's something that I regret never doing with our past doctor. And yes, I still miss our old doctor. :( So here is Dr. E and my almost naked boys. The sad news today . . . she's leaving the practice as of tomorrow and she doesn't know where she'll be going. I don't think this was her wish and "contractually" she couldn't share the info with me. Not that I even care about the details, but I want her to be our pediatrician. So somehow, I've got to track her down.

And 1 reason that I won't miss going to this office, should we somehow hunt Dr. E and follow her to her new location:
The above sign was probably posted for me. I do the last part, "feeding children to keep them busy promotes poor eating habits and obesity." I noticed this sign for the first time when we went to the office 3 weeks ago. Now just because I bring goldfish to keep Holden entertained during these visits . . . and maybe he drops a few. . . and maybe I run over them with the stroller and make a slight mess . . . Not really. He rarely drops his snack and if he does, I'm quick to pick them up and throw them in the trash. But seriously! Whoever came up with this idea has never had 2 children under the age of 2. (Not that I can say that about myself anymore.) And I know it may not be "healthy" but sometimes it's just about a momma surviving. And sometimes goldfish, fruit snacks and suckers help me to do just that - survive. But today I didn't bring in snacks since I was trying to obey the rules. Instead I brought Holden's paci and a small musical toy. He threw the toy ... across the waiting room ... twice. And he cried loudly as we waited our turn. Several times he cried because I wouldn't let him push the stroller. There's just not much room for the 2 year old to be pushing the stroller around for fun. But maybe he annoyed the staff. Hopefully since I'm not allowed to feed him to make him happy. :)
And for the record, at 2 years, Holden weighed in 30lbs. 4oz (75%) and 37inches (95%). Can't wait to see the day his daddy has to look up at him.

My 9-month boy!

My baby boy turned 9-months yesterday. We are quickly approaching 1 year and that seems unbelievable in some ways. It has been a fun month for this little guy. He has mastered the army crawl and he is quick. His daddy said he looked like a wounded solider those first few weeks of scooting, as he was dominant on one side. But now he is fast and just looks like a brave, little solider. I think he may never crawl on his knees. We see him start to, but it's like he just hasn't figured out how much easier that movement would be. So he huffs and puffs as he drags that heavy, little body around. It's cute. Speaking of heavy, we went to the doctor today for his 9-month appointment. He weighed 22lbs. 11oz (75-90%) and his length was 28.5 (50-75%). Much to my surprise, there were no shots. And he had no shots at 6 months. So I'm beginning to wonder if he's going to get a boatload at 1 year. Eek!
With Paxton's mobility, he and Holden are able to play together. And those moments are some of my favorites during the day. Holden will squat down and hide behind the furniture. Paxton will crawl around to get him. But the smart boy stops and lays his head on the ground to see Holden underneath the furniture. If Paxton could speak, I think he would say, "you maybe faster than me, but you're not smarter." He is a smart, little baby in their version of the games of chase and hide-n-seek. It makes me smile each time they start to play together. I know this part of it will only get better as they grow.Paxton STILL only has 2 teeth. Holden had 8 teeth at this age. So he is still only taking formula and pureed baby food. He gags and cries each time I have him try a puff so I just haven't pushed. He is a good eater for us, so I have no complaints.This month, Pax found his voice. I mean, REALLY found his voice. I thought for so long, he would be my quieter child. Not so. And as he exercises that new found instrument, I might need to get my hearing re-checked. I am NOT kidding! He often leaves my ears ringing with his loud, unbearable squeals. They happen most often when he is locked in his high chair and I am having to tend to Holden also. In other words, those terrible squeals are purposed to get my attention back to him. But wow. The squeals hurt. It's an awful, awful sound. But he also loves to use that voice box for sweet babbles, giggles and making his little noises. Those are sweet sounds that I cherish. The squeals . . . well, my ears could do without them. I assume it's his way of making his presence known and not forgotten.
This boy is pure sweetness. He must get covered in 1,000 kisses a day between the 3 of us. And he just allows it. He kind of has to at this point. He's not quite big enough to fight us off. I can not imagine our family without Pax. I can't fathom it. And I don't even like for my mind to go there. He's been woven into each of our hearts (including Holden's). And life feels richer because he is part of us. Happy 9 months, baby boy! You are a blessing to us all!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

lazy days.

It seems like lazy days are few and far between right now. Considering that 3 out of the 4 of us are home most hours of most days, that statement doesn't even make sense in my head. But it is the way I feel. Things often feel busy. But lately they have been slowing down a bit. And that has been nice. So we have been doing things like:

helping daddy with the yard work

taking wagon rides

coloring another picture to place on the refridgerator

learning manly things (Okay, this was not staged by me. Jeremy did this all on his own and Holden ran to me excitedly to show me his beautiful face.)

and working on seeing things from a new perspective

I do enjoy these lazy days with my family. Keep 'em comin!

water fun.

Since it has been in the low 90s the past 2 weeks, Jeremy inflated the pool yesterday evening. So the boys enjoyed their first splash of 2010. I'm only calling it a splash because we only put about 3 inches of water inside. And for my boys, that was fun enough. The water was ice cold, but they didn't seem bothered by it. Even Pax handled it like a champ.

I'm totally going to have to watch the big brother. At all times! He sometimes uses Pax in his little science experiments.

Just loving the water.

So I bought a "big" pool this year so feel free to come and join us. (Unless you're some weirdo that I don't know. In that case, you're not invited.)

Last week Jeremy pulled out and cleaned up Holden's water table from last year. He was so excited to see it. Could he remember it from last summer? Probably not, but it seemed like he did. So in the mornings, during Paxton's nap he has been having lots of fun reconnecting with this old friend. He understands it alot more this year. Last year he would just take the pieces off and throw them in the grass and of course, splash in the water. Now he understands the little water "towers" and the train set. He has been having a ball.

See, I told you. He gets it. He's pouring water through the towers.

Water tables are serious business.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

fun visit.

Last week my dad had a conference down the road from us. So mom came and spent the day with the boys and I. Anytime someone comes to see me, I look at that person as an extra set of hands and we get out of the house! So we did just that and did a little shopping. Later that evening, we had dinner at the house and then wanted to try an ice cream shop close by. It's a train themed place. We intended to take Holden during his birthday weekend, but that somehow never happened. So we went last week. It was a fun little place.

Holden checking out the trains.

The boys waiting patiently for icecream. Pax is still waiting. :)


Nana so thoughtfully sharing her coffee icecream as Holden continually said "more pwease."

the "good" fat.

This weekend Paxton had his first taste of avocado. I split one in half, and put half on my sandwhich and mashed the other half for him. I sure would like someone in this household to share avocados with me. Because you can have too much of the good fat, right?! If you knew how much guacamole I could eat, you would agree with me! Unfortunately, like his brother and daddy, he was not a fan on this first go around. We'll keep trying. He did eat all that I offered, but he sure wasn't eager about it. And he kind of made his skeptical face with each bite that he took. But everybody needs some good fat in their diet.

Even this little chub.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Holden graduated!

Well, I prayed last night about sending Holden to school. I was going to base my decision on the fever. Not sure if that was the smartest way to do it, but it's what I decided. I hated for him to miss the last day and for me to not properly thank his sweet teachers. But I also didn't want him to spread the bug if he had one. He slept 14 hours last night! And he woke at 8:30am with NO fever. Not even a low-grade fever, but instead his temperature was completely normal. So I scurried around to get 2 boys fed, dressed, hair combed and to school by 9:15. Needless to say we strolled in the doors at 9:30am. Just in time for his last music class. After some quick errands and a cat nap for Pax, we headed back to the church to pick up Holden. I got a quick picture with his teachers before we said our goodbye for the summer. I am going to miss these ladies. They've become somewhat "regulars" in Holden's little mind. Each Monday when I drop him off, he normally walks straight to Mrs. Tammy (curly hair) and says "hold you". And she does. She picks him up and cuddles him as he warms up to another day at school. Each day when I return for pick-up, Mrs. Misty (straight hair) tells me how chatty, sweet and affectionate he was that day. She has also told me things like: he should be a child model because he is so stinking cute. Ahhhhh, not the first time we've heard these words. She told me that she wanted to snatch him up and take him home with her. Her words have been an encouragement and joy to me. Not because she thinks he's cute. I mean, don't we all. :) But because it seems like she really cares for him. She enjoys his company and presence in her class. She is one of those teachers that does her job so well. Her care and love for the kids is so visible.

Today they sent us home with a memory book from the past semester. It was pure sweetness filled with pictures of Holden and some of his school friends. Because this is my first time, it was a complete surprise to me. But goodness, flipping through and seeing how he has changed and grown, just since January. . . it got to me. And seeing through pictures the fun he has experienced just 1 day a week in this program - that was a blessing. I was never able to be a fly on the wall in his classroom, but they did capture some sweet photographic moments to share with me. Sweet, little memories. I know he won't actually remember this time, but I'm grateful for this little book to be a reminder for us. And so now we will enjoy our summer and prepare to head back in the fall.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

big boy and sicky boy.

Paxton is following in his big brother's footsteps. Many babies stay in their little infant carrier their entire first year. But not my boys. Pax had to go to the doctor last week. Sinus infection. Ugh! But when they placed him on the scale, I realized he was outweighing his infant carrier limit (which is 22lbs). I knew he was getting close but didn't realize he had exceeded it. So we ordered a new carseat online for Holden and now another hand-me-down for baby Pax. So Jeremy got him all fitted for his new ride today. Doesn't he look safe, snug and happy?! Of course, he will still be turned backwards for a while, we just had to upgrade him to a bigger seat.
Speaking of the big brother . . . Holden woke from his nap yesterday with 104.6 fever. Whoa! This kid rarely gets sick. An occasional winter cold and allergies, but I don't ever remember a fever this high. Other than a lack of appetite, he's acting like his normal and playful self. With tylenol, we've managed to keep the fever below 102 today. I've been noticing a little cough, so we might be headed to the doctor tomorrow. And I'm a little sad that he is going to miss his very last day of Mother's Day Out. Tomorrow is only a half day: 9:15-12:00 but I don't want to spread the germs if he's carrying them. But I wanted to get his picture taken with his teachers. My goodness, they love him! And he loves going to school. And he's learned so much! And I'm pretty sure that Holden would be so sad if he could really comprehend that he is going to miss his last day and probably never see those friends again. I'm going to miss that place this summer. And I'm not really sure if we'll have groceries in the pantry this summer. Wonder how the hubs would feel if I started ordering them online?! Hmmm? Good thought. Anyways, I said Holden didn't have much of an appetite. He doesn't. Unless I pull out some sugar. My friend Amanda made this pie for us a few years back and it was a hit with Jeremy. He's not much into sweets. I don't know what's wrong with him! But this little, easy pie is requested at my house often. But it has to be spring/summer for me to make it. So today was the first Lemonade Pie of 2010. 4 ingredients people. 1) 8oz cool whip, 2) sweetened condensed milk, 3) 8oz frozen lemonade concentrate (dethawed). Beat well and pour into 4) graham cracker crust. Refridgerate several hours and serve. Easy as pie. :) And delicious.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

laughter with a pretzel.


I told you that he makes us laugh. And lately, we've needed the extra laughter this boy brings. Medicine for a weary soul!
(I know that I sound dramatic. I only get this way rarely, so let me be.)

sippy cup skills.

He is totally getting it! Love this boy!

Monday, May 10, 2010

California girls . . .

Last week, I was able to spend an entire day with an old college roomate and her 2 little girls. Kristy and family now reside in San Diego, so these visits are a rare treat. In fact, this was our last visit with their family. Holden was a wee one and baby girl #2 had not yet arrived. Her girls are less than 1 year apart in age, so she was one of my first calls when we learned about Pax. When they arrived at our house on Wednesday, I was reminded that we need to find some social activities for Holden. He is quite the social butterfly and must make friends SOON! When we were in Oklahoma, we had some regular playdates. That hasn't been so regular here in Texas. We just haven't made the connections yet. And I am hopeful that will be changing soon. So since Holden doesn't get out much, he proceeded to run circles around those girls from the moment they arrived (while laughing hysterically). It was funny at first. But I think he scared them off from being his friend. Sorry Aubrey and Adalyn. He is MUCH calmer on day 2, I promise. Holden is 4 months older than Adalyn. Aubrey and Pax were MIA for this photo op. Kristy, thanks for sharing your time with us. I miss you dearly!

The new commercial face of Radio Flyer

Just a few of the fun gifts Holden received for his birthday!
The boys are loving the wagon. This was from Jeremy and I. Paxton smiles and bounces up and down as he rides. Holden tells us "again" as soon as we stop pulling. And not a bad workout for myself since I am dragging 60 pounds. Together, they are quite the load.
This little gift was from Poppa J and Nana. Holden hasn't quite gotten the hang of pedaling. Maybe soon. But look at those cute flip-flopped feet. I think flip flops make him look OLD!
And the scooter was from Uncle Dan, Aunt Amy, Carson and Cameron. Do I need to explain that he has no idea how to do this yet? He can be Mr. Independent at times. And this was one of those moments.

My 3rd Mother's Day.

It was great. We went to church and then had lunch out at Fish City Grill. Where, during a brief moment of distracted parents, Holden sprinkled about 5 tablespoons of hot sauce onto his jeans. He had one eye on us the whole time watching to see if we were going to notice what he was doing under the table. Mischevious boy! So he gave off a nice aroma on our ride home. We got home and decided on naps for everyone (or so we thought). Pax decided he didn't need a Sunday afternoon nap. What in the world! After Holden woke, the boys showed me my gift.

the candles are my gift.

And Jeremy swears that the boys picked it all out by themselves. Funny since I'm not sure that he's ever taken both boys anywhere alone. And also funny that my boys are trying to help their daddy in the romance department. But whatever. This mommy needs occassional relaxation. I had been wanting to do this next to the bathtub and apparently my boys have great taste. So they did it all for me. I do realize that alot of thought did go into this from my husband. And I'm appreciative.

And I'm pretty sure Jeremy and I had ice cream for dinner once the boys were in bed. Great day. Special, special day.

And reflecting back to Mother's Day 2008 and Mother's Day 2009. My, how quickly things have changed.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

It's Birth Mother's Day!

I did not even know this day existed until last year. And I am so glad that there is a special day to honor these ladies. We have 2 special birth mothers that have been in my thoughts today. 2 ladies that have sacrificed much and in return made me a mommy. 2 ladies of strength and determination. I love them both dearly. One I've had the pleasure to know and the other I've only seen in pictures. But my heart feels the same for them both. My heart is FULL for these women. How can it not be? Their brave decisions brought new life to my family!

To K, if you're reading, I hope you know how much we love you. You can't imagine how often I think of you when I look into my Holden's eyes. You gave us our first miracle. And if you knew our prayers before Holden, then I know you would agree that he can only be described as a miracle. Thank you for your selflessness. Thank you for this gift. We love you so much!And to M, who we've had the pleasure to know over the past 8 months. You know how we feel. We love you so much. We are so grateful for the gift of our second son. Paxton is blessed to experience the love of 2 mothers. And to have this extended family that spoils him rotten with gifts. :) Thank you for the hard choices you've made for this wonderful boy.

Friday, May 7, 2010

The magic Tangle Teezer!

I mentioned Holden's new hair routine on my last post. And boy, it has been a dream come true. He now loves to have his hair brushed each morning. I used to only pick it out when we left the house because it was normally a fight. But so long, hair battles!
After bringing home Holden 2 years ago (this Sunday!!), I joined a Yahoo group for assistance with AA skin and hair. I read the email posts religously at first and posted questions rarely, but when a question popped up for us. In the last 8 month, I have probably only skimmed the posts 5 times. They are emailed to me several times per week. There just isn't as much time for it anymore and I haven't been searching for any answers. We had our routine (even though painful sometimes) and it seemed to work good enough. Well, randomly a few weeks ago, I read a post and it mentioned Tangle Teezers hairbrush. And the person that wrote the post was singing it's praises on her daughters hair. I googled it and thought we could give it a try, but I wasn't exactly convinced. Holden's has some super tight curls. So just because it works for someone elses' kid, I am normally prepared that it still might not work for Holden. I had to order it from Europe and made the purchase on Ebay. When it came in the mail 2 weeks ago, I pulled out a small (handheld size) plastic looking brush and was skeptical. I paid $20 for that brush and my first thought upon seeing it was that I probably got ripped off. But to my surprise, it has been worth every single penny! Apparently the brush feels good on the scalp and somehow gets through those curls without any tears and pain. I have no idea how it works. It almost seems to be magic! I am not kidding you! It's plain magic! And I am not getting paid for this advertisement. I promise. :) So the new hair routine is as follows: I spray his hair heavily with water and rub through it with my hands to make sure his hair is good and wet. Then I brush through it with the Tangle Teezer. I press forcefully onto his scalp (to get through that thick head of hair) and he makes no fuss AT ALL. I brush in all different directions so that I touch each of the curly tangles. Believe me, Holden will let you know if he's not comfortable with something. But again, no fuss. Then I apply a cream conditioner. We have at least 3 around the house. Sometimes it's Pantene for AA hair. Sometimes it's Dark and Lovely Softening Oil Moisturizer. And I think we have another one . . . can't think of the name. Recently we have been using the Dark and Lovely, smells great and conditions well. It's nothing fancy. Our hair products aren't. And now I know we don't need the fancy stuff because we have this amazing brush. So I apply the cream conditioner and then pick through with a wide tooth comb such as this one, just to poof it up a bit. The brush kind of flattens his hair to his head. So we pick it back out. But there are absolutely NO tangles when we use the pick (due to the previous brushing). So Holden sits contently through his, now 2 minute, hair regimen. Here is a picture of some freshly fixed Holden hair.
A head of nice, soft, poofy little curls. I love his hair! And I do love letting it grow a bit. And now we have that option with the amazing Tangle Teezer. And by the way, the brush is not really advertised for AA hair. It just seems to work for us. So if your child has long, stringy, tangly hair, and a sensitive scalp, this might be your answer as well.
And here she is in all her glory. But our brush is blue. :) (2 views for you)


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My little 2 year old!

I don't know if I can really capture who he is in one post, but I am going to try.
My sweet, cuddly baby boy has become an energetic, social 2 year old right before my eyes. I count it a blessing that I have been able to witness each moment from the day we brought him home. Holden has added and continues to add so much laughter to this family. Just the other night as he was giggling hysterically because he was jumping on me without counting to 3 (I kept asking him to count to give me warning), Jeremy and I both laughed. And we laughed hard. His giggles are contagious and I love it when he finds something funny. Sometimes it's Tom and Jerry. Sometimes it's a simple game of peek-a-boo. Sometimes it's his brother's grin. Sometimes it's chasing our dog, and I'm sure she is super-annoyed. And sometimes it's his goofy daddy. But this kid adds MUCH needed laughter in our hearts. He is a constant JOY!
In the past year he has learned so much! At 16 months, the concept of sharing took on a whole new meaning as we brought home his baby brother. Mommy and daddy's attention was divided between 2 sons. And the lesson of sharing continues daily as Holden seems suddenly interested in whatever toy is in Paxton's hands at the moment. Yesterday after stealing a toy from his brother's hands, he bent down to eye level and said "tank you, bubba" and he was so sincere. Completely sincere! I smiled (while laughing on the inside) and then gave the toy back to Paxton. But he sure loves his bubba!Holden's vocabulary is out the whazoo! He is a talker and I love it. From the moment he wakes up jabbering in his bed, he rarely stops. It's fun to listen, decipher and have little conversations with my boy. He is into possesion right now. For example: "daddy's seat", "mommy's shoes", "bubba's bottle". He likes to inform everyone of what belongs to whom. And again, this makes us laugh. He repeats words over and over until you say the word and recognize that he is speaking. You can not just ignore. When we play in the backyard, I hear things like "bert, bert, bert, bert, bert" (while pointing). I say something like "Yes, there's a bird." Then he says, "tee, tee, tee, tee, tee." And I say something like "Yes, that's a big tree." And this goes on all of the time. He is also beginning to put 3-4 words together. Not often, but it does happen on occassion. Just a few weeks ago, Holden was climbing the stairs with me and counting as he went. I was hearing, but not listening or thinking about what he was doing, until I heard "yeven". Then I rewound in my brain. He had counted to 7, but skipped 4 and 5. Crazy! Not sure where he learned this. At MDO, the teachers tell me they are constantly counting heads (and their are 8 kids in his class), so I assume he has picked up this new little trick there. But we are continuing to work on this new skill of counting. We think he is super-smart! :)
Bathtime and anything involving water is still a favorite with Holden. He would stay in the tub for hours if we allowed it. I often hear Jeremy telling Holden "all good things must come to an end." It makes me laugh when he says this. But Holden is often DEEPLY disappointed when good things come to that awful end. Thing such as bathtime, outside playtime, dessert, ect. You know the good stuff in life. :) Speaking of water, he received a new water toy for his birthday that is going to keep us cool all summer long. Between his new huge beach ball sprinkler, water table and blow up pool, Holden will be in heaven! And with it in the 90s today, it's almost time to pull it all out. Holden is an amazing sleeper. He often tells us when he is ready for a nap. I often have to stretch him to noon. He normally wakes at 7:30am (though today was 8:15) and 3 hours later he is ready to nap. I try to keep him occupied outside or with lunch to stretch him out later. Going from 2 naps to 1 has been rough. He seemed ready in some ways, but there have been days even recently that he has taken 2 naps. The boy loves his sleep. On Mother's Day Out days, he normally only gets a little over an hour of sleep at school and I normally have to wake him up to get him home. So once we get home, he goes straight to bed for another 2 hours on some days.

Holden is a pretty good eater. We have a harder time with veggies, which everyone thas has gone before me tells me it's just a stage. But there are plenty that he does like such as: peas, carrots, lima beans, asian slaw salad!! (yum), corn, potatoes (if that counts) and that might be about it. That's all he will eat plain. I do my best to mix other things in casseroles or purees so that he gets it in him, even if he won't take it by the spoonful. A typical breakfast is a blueberry waffle and fruit. Occassionally yogurt, but he is kind off his yogurt kick. Sometimes we do pancakes and occasionally we do breakfast casserole. But he loves "wockles" and so normally "wockles" it is. His typical lunch is a meat and cheese sandwhich, a meat and cheese tortillia wrap, a PBJ sandwhich, hot dog weiner, cheese stick and crunchy pretzles, pasta/veggie salad, or last night's dinner leftovers + a fruit. I normally let him decide breakfast and lunch based on what we have available and then he eats whatever I cook for dinner. I am so proud of the fact that he eats fish. We normally have tilapia and salmon and I keep it simple with EVOO, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. He doesn't act like he loves it like he does chicken pot pie, but he eats it well. I weighed him yesterday at 32lbs. Apparently the eating is going well.
He loves: trains, trucks, planes, "munic" (music), playing the drums on just about anything . . .

He likes to brush his teeth and now with our new hairbrush (I will share this news soon!) he loves having his hair fixed each morning! Hallelujah! When I ask if he wants his hair done, he immediately responds with "yes! baffwoom?" We always do his hair in our bathroom, so he goes running that direction. One of his favorite loves is still the paci. Oh man, I'm not sure how I will ever take it away. It stays in his bed, so he only gets it when he goes to sleep. He knows that is our rule. So when I get him out of bed, he takes it out of his mouth and chunks it inside the crib. He doesn't seem to mind that his little brother has his paci a whole lot more often than just sleeping. But sometimes when Holden has a little meltdown, he will ask for his paci. He doens't get it, but I guess he feels that it doesn't hurt to ask. So we are on our way to 3 now! This next year should be a big one! Hopefully we will be saying goodbye to the paci, diapers and the crib. Wow! That's alot of changes in one short year, but I'm confident that we will survive. My cute, fun-loving Holden, how did I get so blessed!? We are thrilled to see the excitement that a new year with you will bring our family!