Progress. Finally!

William has a sensitive spirit.  He cries or fusses about things a little too quickly.  He has a difficult time handling change.  And he needs a physical connection with someone often.  So it isn't a shock that he has been challenging for me to get him to sleep on his own.  He has slept with me for the most part since he was born.  Before he could roll over he would nap in the crib but since then I haven't had much success.  It has been exhausting for me because it wakes me up so often when he is moving around.  I love snuggling with him but he needs to learn to sleep without physical contact.  

Now that he is over the ear infections and Roseola I felt I could finally tackle this problem.  So the past week has been all about Operation: "GO TO SLEEP!"

I started out with putting him in the pack'n'play for naps but he would scream and never go to sleep.  Fail. I decided I wasn't going to force it or fight it.  Instead I let him stay awake and play.  Even though he would rub his eyes and was tired I wasn't going to rock him to sleep.  He would try climbing into my lap and laying his head on my shoulder but I wouldn't let him get comfortable.  So for two days he didn't have a morning nap.  By the time Levi was ready for his afternoon nap so was William.  I put him in the pack'n'play and after a couple minutes of fussing he was so tired he laid down and slept.  

Success!

While I was working on naps I didn't want to work on nighttime.  I didn't want to stress him out too much so I stuck to our normal nighttime routine.  In a way it was nice because it made sure I went to bed at a decent time.

William is doing better at going down for a nap.  He doesn't fuss so much.  So I started working on bedtime with him.  The first night I let him cry for an hour before I got him out of bed.  My heart just couldn't let him go on crying any longer.  He fell asleep in my arms very quickly.  The second night I sat on my bed while he cried.  I thought that being nearby might make him feel not so abandoned.  He cried for close to an hour before he wore himself out.  Once he fell to his knees he laid down and fell asleep very quickly.  Whew! What an ordeal.  

I felt pretty good about it.  This was the first time he had fallen asleep in his crib.  He slept there until about four am when he started crying and then I scooped him up and laid him in bed by me.  At least I got a couple hours of snuggling in.

The third night he cried for fifteen minutes or so and sounded pretty panicky.  I went and got him and held him for another fifteen minutes before putting him back to bed.  He wasn't crying constantly anymore.  He would have a minute or two of resting before resuming the crying.  But he fell asleep sooner than the night before.  And I did not sit in the room with him.  Add to this the fact that he slept in his crib the entire night.  This was a big deal for me and I was so proud of him.  My sweet little man.

Tonight he cried but was out within a half hour.  I think it is getting better for him which means it is getting better for me.  Well, sort of.  I will get more rest but I sure will miss holding him while he sleeps.

It tears my heart to hear him cry and not respond to him.  Everything within me wants to go and scoop him up and cradle him in my arms.  Then kiss on him and tell him everything will be fine.  

That is the challenge to being a good parent isn't it?  Wanting to give into the child's desire but knowing you have to stay strong for the good of the child.  And to think the challenges will only get harder the older they are.  Five years from know I will look back on this and probably think of how easy that was compared to whatever I will be going through.   

Sometimes I ponder over the moments I have with these boys.  I compare it to what God must feel about us.  Having a child gives me so much insight into the love God has for us.  It makes me realize how selfish I have been.  Who am I kidding...how selfish I am.  I don't want to be selfish and I don't want to teach my children to be selfish.  I am grateful that God is so forgiving and His love is never-ending.  God give me the tools to be a good mom and raise them to be upright men, knowing what is good and noble.

Houston, we have a tooth!

Tonight my Mom was giving William a drink of water from a glass and we could hear a tiny little clink.  I stuck my finger in his mouth but I couldn't feel anything sharp.  She felt in there and she found it.  I felt again and sure enough I felt a tooth.  I have been waiting for one to break through for the last few weeks.  He has had several signs that there was a tooth trying to break through.  Below his lower lip was red and chapped and his tongue has been exploring his lower gums like a ship in a storm.  The faces he makes when he does this just makes me laugh.  He has been ornery the last couple of days and slept a lot today.  He had a three hour nap and I was actually worried about him so I kept checking to make sure he was still breathing and then an hour or so after he awoke from that nap he fell asleep again.  That soooo not like him.  Well I am relieved to know it has finally broke through.  And yet I am a little saddened to know his days as a toothless wonder are over.

my little pterodactyl

William has a characteristic that he has honed from cute and tolerable into loud and aggravating.

He has earned the name of Pterodactyl because he likes to make noises from deep in his throat.  I imagine that this is what a pterodactyl would sound like, hence the nickname.  Unfortunately, the volume and frequency has drastically been intensified today.  All afternoon and evening and yes even now at 10pm he is still going on.  I'm still laughing...kinda.  I admit it's annoying and I'm trying not to get angry with him.  I swear he is going to bother all of the neighbors and they may be knocking at our door any moment.

Adding to this annoyance is the fact that he has been pinching me really hard and pulling my hair.  It really flippin' hurts.  It's a good thing grandma just took him and is trying to rock him to sleep.  Although grandma is more tired than mommy because she has been caring for the boys these past two days while mommy suffers with the flu.  Ugh.  I couldn't have made it through these last two days without her.

Tuesday I went to the doctor to get a vaccination for tetanus and pertussis based on the recommendation of the pediatrician.  I was also to get the flu vaccine but my doctor office isn't doing them this year for some unknown reason.  After getting the shot the nurse said I would experience some muscle soreness for a few days.  No big deal right?

Wrong.  3:30 in the morning I awoke to not only muscle soreness but also severe chills, shakes and a headache.  It was awful.  I took the ibuprofen which didn't help.  Later in the morning I called the doctor office to ask what was the maximum ibuprofen to take.  I was feeling so bad I was crying on the phone and the woman said she would have a nurse call me.  At one point I found the thermometer and took my temperature, 101.3 and that was two hours after taking the ibuprofen.  That afternoon the nurse called and I explained what the effects of the vaccination was having on me and she said that it wasn't the vaccination but I had the flu.  So, I went to the doctor healthy and left there with the flu.  Really?!?

Anyway, I am feeling vastly better than I did this morning and yesterday.  I wanted to snuggle the boys so much but I knew that I couldn't so that I didn't pass it onto them.  So far they have not shown signs of the flu.  Let's keep it that way.  Levi has been all smiles when he looks at me and it makes my heart melt.  I think his smiles help me heal too.

Weights, Whinery and Wiley William

So it's been exciting here the last couple of days.  Monday the boys went in for their four month check.  Levi weighed in at 15 lbs and William at 14.  Levi may have William beat by a whole pound but William is still longer by a quarter inch (23.5 and 23.75 inches).  Doc said they were doing great and he gave mommy an A+.  He paid me a compliment too.  He said he can tell I was going to be a great mother because I was laid back, calm and didn't get worked up about little things.  I said that once you lose one child everything else seems trivial and he quite agreed.

So while we were waiting in the room waiting for the doctor to come in I had laid William on the table and Levi was sitting in his cars eat.  The second William touched the table his legs and arms started going like a tap dancer.  I think he loved the crinkly sound of the paper because he just went on and on dancing.  After a couple of minutes watching and laughing at him I looked over at Levi and that kid was trying to squirm, or should I say escape his way out of the car seat.  It just made me laugh even harder.  He was in his orange diaper and that chubby little tummy of his was wiggling all over the place.  He was so far down in the seat that his legs were sticking way out and kicking the other car seat that was setting opposite of him.  They have come a long ways from being newborns.

So the boys had a series of shots and Levi was not a happy camper about it.  He thought the world was ending.  I was expecting William to act the same but surprisingly he did much better.  He cried when he got poked but once the nurse picked him up and held him he was completely fine.  I was still trying to calm Levi down and he didn't settle until I put him the car.  It was not a pleasant evening.  Levi was very agitated and crabby all evening.  I finally gave him some tylenol when he felt warm and feverish and he finally went to bed about ten.  William was somewhat cranky too and he wouldn't go down until 10:30 and that was after a lot of coaxing.  I finally had to lay in my bed with him and hold onto him while he squirmed and completely wore himself out.  He was still whining as he drifted off.  I let him lay there until midnight and then moved him to his crib.  In the morning Levi was back to his old happy self but William was a super cranky baby all day long.  He was a constant barrage of whinery, and not the tasty kind.  Thankfully he crashed early last night and was in bed about 7:30.

So this morning Doug got Levi up and dressed him in a Michigan onesie.  So of course when I got William up and dressed I put him in the Michigan State onesie.  Doug did not approve.  Anyway, Doug fed Levi in the dinning room and I sat with William in the living room.  William was playing with the bottle and since he wasn't interested in food I laid him on his tummy on the floor.  He looked around for a minute or two and then, ploop, he rolled over with what seemed no effort.  I screamed just as Doug walked into the room with Levi.  He missed seeing it by 1 second.  I rolled William back onto his tummy and hoped he would do it again but he didn't.  Maybe later today.  It was a fabulous first anyway.  The irony in this is that I was imagining him rolling over and that I should go get my camera to record some video.  Who knows I might catch his first roll over on video....so much for that happening.  Now that William has beat Levi in the "who will roll over first" contest, will this be a prediction as to who is going to win the Michigan vs. Michigan State game?

And while William was rolling over I missed taking a call from my dad but I called him back right away.  Apparently two ducks had just flown through his front, two-paned picture window.  So I walked over there with my camera so he could take pictures for his insurance.  There was glass everywhere and he shooed them outside before he saw the blood on his couch.  So there is an injured duck out there somewhere.  I hope he ends up being okay.

More of Wily William

This kid makes me laugh so hard.  Such a character.

 Here are some pictures of William to enjoy!

 Apparently he didn't like his shower that day.

 I think he has the cutest bellybutton.  It looks like a snail.  I want to draw antennas and a tail on it. :)

 Three months old and he has already been practicing at removing his diaper.

 What a little instigator. 

 naptime with mama

 tummy time

Bogart wanted to nap with William

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

William is definitely the squeaky wheel around the house.  He is so vocal and becoming more so every day.  Today at dinner he just went on and on and on.  Even after we finished dinner he continued to talk and squeal for the longest time.  He does everything he can to get everyones attention.  I feel like I have to attend to him more than Levi.  Levi is usually so contented that he usually has to wait when I am unable to take care of both immediately.  I feel guilty about it but I am grateful that he has such a patient demeanor. 

Right now I am sitting in bed with William who does not want to go to sleep.  He thinks it's playtime.  How do I get him on an earlier schedule for bedtime?  Sigh.

Wily William

William learned a new trick yesterday.  He can purse his lips together, stick the lower lip out some and then he makes spurting sounds.  He's practically spraying slobber everywhere when he does it too.  Then today he improved on that trick while we were all sitting at the dinner table.  He can suck his upper lip in and hold it there for a while.  We were all cracking up over it.  Who needs tv when you have children.  They are way more entertaining.

William has been so vocal the last couple of days prior to going to bed.  He gets so loud and moves around so much that it is hard to hold onto him.  He practically yells in your face like an angry referee.  I have to let him get it all out before he finally crashes and then he will sleep for several hours into the night.  Silly little boy.

Great Grandma Hickey bought the boys a couple of light blue, super soft and fuzzy bunny rattles when we found out we were having boys.  The last few weeks they have been able to really enjoy them.  But I think William likes them the most.  When he sees one coming at him he gets excited.  His limbs starting moving and he gets an open mouthed grin.  When I lay it on his chest or legs he grabs onto it right away and pulls it up to his mouth and starts going to town.  He loves the feel of it on his face.  I can see the wheels cranking in his brain when he is grabbing at it.  The only other thing he gets as much joy playing with is a burp cloth.

One great thing about William is that he does really well sleeping at night.  He typically gets up only once to eat and then occasionally he sleeps through the night.  Unfortunately he makes up for lost time during the day.  Naps are something he tries to deny being a part of his vocabulary.  His little naps are five to twenty minutes long.  He will sleep longer but only if, and I repeat ONLY if someone is holding him.  If you lay him down so you can get some work done he will only sleep a few minutes because then he will realize that he is not being held and then the yelling begins.  Oiy!  I love that kid but man I can't get much done.  What saves me from getting upset with him is that he is so stinkin' funny.

Are you my mother?

Levi has been Doug's little "mini me" from the beginning.  Even the ultrasounds showed just how alike they were.  Everyone that knows Doug and sees Levi immediately notices the similarities and comments on them.

But when it comes to William most people question who he gets his looks from.  Even I couldn't see it for the longest time.  But in the last couple of weeks I have been noticing some of his features that are similar to me and yet I still didn't see me in him.  When he smiles really big his eyes will almost close.  The eyes become a downturned crescent moon shape which mine do the same thing.  He has fine lips like mine and Levi has the big full lips like his Papa.

A few days ago my Mom and I were talking and we realized that William has the same smile as her father. It's a little bit lopsided.  One side of the mouth pulls back toward the cheek and the other side opens more with the upper lip pulled up a bit more.  It creates somewhat of a triangular effect making it seem lopsided.  I love this smile and it makes it even more special to me to know that he gets it from his Great Grandpa. Now I can see a bit of my Grandpa each time I look at William.

Today we were again talking about Williams features and my Mom said she had been looking at him and said she had seen that face before.  So she pulled out an old family portrait taken when I was about three months old.  In the center were my Grandparents and sure enough there was my Grandpa's smile.  That was William for sure.  Then I looked at me.  I have seen this picture a thousand times whenever I went to my Grandparents house but I realize I never would really look at myself but study the faces and clothes of the rest of the family.  Anyway, when I looked at my face, the eyes, the mouth and just the expression I realized at that moment just how much he looked like me.  We are so amazingly the same.

I have never felt bad that the boys didn't look like me or that most people couldn't see me in either one.  It just was what it was.  I don't think I ever really thought much about it.  But once I saw that picture and saw that William really was my little "mini me" it made me feel really good.  I don't know why but it did.  But more than that it felt really good to know that he has my Grandpa's smile.  I hope that his smile doesn't fade with time.  I want him to always have that lopsided grin so that I am always reminded of my wonderful Grandpa.  William will never have the chance to meet him but a part of Grandpa will always be with him.

Visitors!

As I said before we had some special guests.  Grandma Deborah and Grandpa Joseph came from Washington.  It was so nice seeing them with the boys.  Grandpa Joseph is an avid cyclist.  In fact he is doing a 75 mile trek today.  Thank goodness he lives in a better climate than Michigan.  While they were here we watched some of la Tour de France and he educated us on the strategy the cyclists use.  I noticed there were a set of brothers riding.  The Schleck brothers.  Maybe someday my boys will want to be in la Tour.  The Lang brothers!

We didn't go out much while they were visiting because the weather has been so horribly hot and humid.  I am so thankful for the air conditioning right now.  These 90 degree days have gone on too long.  I did take Deborah out to the farm where I get my milk.

On the last evening they were here they took Doug and I out for dinner.  We went to San Chez Tapas Bistro.  That was my first time there and man-o-man I think this is my new favorite restaurant.  I can't wait till the boys can eat solids and we can introduce all kinds of yumminess to them.  This is definitely one place we will bring them to introduce new flavours to their palate.  I hope one of the boys decides to be a chef.  I should be so spoiled.

The same weekend that they visited we found out that Grandpa Doug and Grandma Heidi's house burned down.  So tragic.  Thankfully no one was home when it happened but nothing can replace the loss of a home.  Prayers for them please.

So two weeks ago I was sitting in the recliner with Levi in one arm and my phone in the other hand.  I was checking my e-mail when a little hand reached up and one lone finger pressed the delete button.  There went the e-mail I was in the middle of reading.  I guess Levi wanted to say that he thought he was a little more important than the e-mail.  Guess I need to pay more attention to him.

They have both have been using their hands more and more.  Each day seems like they have more dexterity than before.  William is still using his legs more than ever.  He loves to stretch out and make himself as long as possible.  He is so strong.  Levi loves to stay bunched up in a ball.  I call him my brick-house because he is just so solid.  They are both such wonderful little snugglers.

Last night we all got to sleep through the night.  Levi got up at 6:30 and William got up at 7.  Yay!  I could get used to this.  So far today Levi has peed on my bed and William has spit up on my bed.  I just washed those sheets last night too.

So here is hoping for another full night of rest and a happy productive day tomorrow!

The Fountain of William

I'm standing over the crib waiting for the boys to fall asleep.  The moment we put them in the crib their eyes popped open and decided it was their awake time.  I'm tired and would like a decent rest but instead I'm watching them.  They are both thoroughly entertained by the mobile and it brings many smiles and laughs from them.  William is getting so excited he can't seem to stop squirming all over the place.  Then he  squirms a little to much and he urps up with such force that it shoots straight up and splats down on his face and chest.  I'm laughing so hard that I'm about to pee my pants.  As I wipe him off he is still giggles and smiles.  Oh my silly little boy, I love it when you are so happy.  I just wish it happened more during the day and you did a little more sleeping at night.  Levi is starting to drift now.  I hope William, you will not be very far behind him.  I love you my sweet, sweet boys.