Showin' Off

Here are a couple of videos of Corbin with his flashcards. We don't really work with him very much, but the kid is like a little sponge. Do it once or twice & he's got it!





While my parents were visiting tonight, Cameron was doing this cute little thing where he would peek out from my Dad's shoulder. I asked Jon to hand me the camera, and I actually caught it once.



Then I thought it was so cute, so I took a few more:







Corbin really wanted his picture taken, so I had to oblige!

Cheeeeeeeeeese!





And I think I figured out what was really wrong with Jamie. I massaged his gums tonight, on the off chance that something might be happening there, and there was! He has a little bottom tooth that is coming up. It is right there at the surface, with just a tiny bit of gum on top still. We did get some Ranitidine for him (Zantac), and it has seemed to improve things a bit, but I think the teething is truly more of the culprit of his late bedtimes. But the good news is that he sleeps like a Kranz, about 10-11 hours at night before waking. He didn't go to bed until 10:30 tonight, though, so Mommy & Daddy had a martini to simulate relaxation :)

Ready for the Olympics!

We found this USA jumpsuit at a garage sale this past summer for $2! It is in mint condition & so appropriate for the upcoming Winter Olympics!



Bum shot!



Corbin also loves the State Farm Insurance commercial with "I'll Be There" in it. He's been singing it for about a month. Usually he also belts out "Doncha Know Baby, Yeah!", but he didn't this time.



Also, we think Jamie is going to have a deep voice. He has a husky little laugh that makes us laugh.



In sleep news, Cameron has decided that he will now go to bed at a reasonable time (7 or 8), but he wakes once, sometimes twice, in the night to get a quick snack. Jamie, on the other hand, now gets very fussy from about 6pm until 11pm & then sleeps hard (all night). While we appreciate that good stretch of sleep he's getting, we would much rather he was on his brothers' bedtime schedule. We would much rather have our kid-free time to regroup before bedtime. It's driving us batty!

3 Month Photos!

One day late, but here they are!

Cameron



Jameson



Cam's Second Tooth!

New Haircut

Corbin had his hair cut on Tuesday. This is something that I absolutely dread, since he is scared of the scissors and clippers. Usually, we have to restrain him completely. This time, he did much better & even paid attention to the Blue's Clues DVD we had put in for him, towards the end. We got it buzzed for the most part, except for his bangs, which were snipped. They used #5 & #8. I know you don't care, but I am putting that in there so that I don't forget. I wanted her to do it short so we didn't have to come back as often. It turned out quite cute. I think he looks like a little retro boy with his jean cuff turned up like that & his super-short hair.







His cheek is healing nicely, too, btw!

In other news, Jamie's sleep has gone to crap. Cameron is sleeping 8-10 hours at a time every night, but Jamie has decided that
1) He hates to be swaddled
2) He must be swung to sleep
3) Sometimes #2 doesn't work
4) When he does fall asleep, he stays in a very light sleep pattern for a long time.
5) A lot of times, he sleeps with his eyes open just a slit, so he doesn't miss anything.

He goes about 4 hours before he will wake up now, which is completely opposite of what they were doing before (Cameron was sleeping for shorter spurts).

We've tried swaddling him in a blanket, and it keeps coming loose because of all of his twisting and turning in bed.

Things are always changing, I tell ya.

You Should See the Other Guy

Corbin had his first run in with a biter yesterday at playgroup.

It was a really busy group yesterday. We had 6 moms there with 10 kids, so it was extremel chaotic & hard to keep an eye on everyone, especially with me paying attention to the twins so much.

It was at the very end of the playgroup & we were getting ready to go. I guess he and this little boy were sort of grappling over a particular toy, and they sort of disappeared into a little ball as they grabbed for it. It was kind of quiet- the other mom and I couldn't really see what was going on because of the way their bodies were Suddenly, Corbin began to cry, and they stopped their wrestling. When I picked him up, it was obvious why he was so upset. He had a huge bite-mark on his cheek!

The mom was mortified, and said so, among apologizing profusely. I mean, what are you going to do? We were right there next to them, we couldn't stop it... and she handled it well. But, my poor little boy! This was taken the day after- you should have seen it yesterday!

Appointment, Anecdotes

The twins had their 2 (and a half) month appointment today. Woo boy, was that an adventure! I had our family friend, Monica, here with me this morning so that I could get some chores done around the house, and she helped me be timely with getting out the door; however, I was unable to get their appointment rescheduled because I have to use up 2 time slots, and she had to go to class during the appointment. So, I had to brave it alone. With Corbin.

Not only that, but we had snow flurries all day. By the time I left, there were already 3 inches on the ground. I got there on time, but I had to be very creative/organized with getting them all bundled up & getting them into the office. Thankfully, many people saw us coming & held doors for us along the way.

The doctor's nurse had an emergency and had to leave abruptly, so my doctor was trying to snag another doctor's nurse to do the vaccinations & it took a very long time. Needless to say, I exhausted all of my entertainment options for Corbin & he was beginning to get very bored. So I sang to him & held him in my lap for a bit. Finally, we got all of the measuremens, talked with the doctor, etc.

The concerns I addressed and the doc's responses are as follows:
- Cameron's new tooth doesn't seem to be bothering him, so we will leave it alone for now.
- Cameron arches his back a lot. She thinks it's probably reflux, but he doesn't seem to have difficulty with feedings & he is growing, so we will just watch it. She didn't think it was neurological, as she did a very thorough exam.
- their little gum-bumps are gone :)
- Jameson's cradle cap will go away on its own. It's just an aesthetic thing, really. Keep doing what I am donig.
- Jameson's blocked tear duct is still not a big deal & normal.

They are both doing well & meeting all of their milestones in a timely manner so far. Cameron is 22 1/2 inches long (15th percentile), 10# 8 oz (10th percentile), with a head circumference of 15 1/2 inches (20th percentile). Jameson is 23 inches long (30th percentile), 12# 2 oz (40th percentile), with a head circumference of 15 7/8 inches (50th percentile). Both are growing along their curve.

They did cry their eyes out during their shots, and that was the most stressful part for mommy. I had to calm both babies down & try to pack them up to leave at the same time. Not only that, but I realized I had forgotten their bottles at home! They conked out when they got home & went to bed early, too. Poor dears.

Corbin has been full of surprises lately. He has been on an every-third-day nap schedule for a month or two now, despite my best efforts; however, he has never complained about it; sometimes, he just doesn't want to nap. So, he usually just sits up in his crib and chatters for an hour or two at the most before I go get him. Well, two days ago, I went in after 2 hours & not only had he removed his pants, but he had also removed his snap-diaper! Talent! Thankfully, we escaped with just a little bit of pee on the mattress.

Then last night, he used the cell phone to call his Uncle Ben (Kranz) a few times while we were otherwise occupied feeding the twins. Ben said he called a few times. Oops!

Also, last night, we had him set up at the table with his alphabet stamps that he likes to play with. He often arranges them alphabetically, but last night, I was surprised when I heard him go, "C-at... Cat!" I looked over, and he had spelled it out with his stamps. Then, I changed the C for an H, and he correctly identified it as "Hat!" Then we quickly taught him "Bat." We cleaned up and later I wrote the words down on a piece of paper & he can correctly identify each word. That's our little smartypants.

What Happened?

Corbin woke up this morning & decided this is his new catchphrase. While I am sitting here pumping, he is "accidentally" throwing crayons onto the floor, inquiring, "What happened?"

New Year, New Blog!

Welcome to our family's new blog!!

We're just going to jump right in. I already have a bunch of photos lined up, in what would have been several separate posts on the other blogs. So, I'm running a little behind. Hopefully, you won't mind the incohesiveness.

I am sure most of you are following us here from our previous blogs, Sweettart Cravings and/or Roo Number 2. This will be mostly kid-focused, but we will probably throw random things in here, too.

That being said, we also have some family news to report! We have been in our home for exactly one year today! Our wonderful realtor, Suzy Christopher, sent us a dozen roses for the occasion. Jon got a little paranoid at first that someone was sending me roses ;)

We have had a busy new year so far! Corbin had a morning in the snow the other day & we got some great pics of the occasion. We also just got back from Toledo this evening, after a day of visiting all of the great-grandparents.

At the end of December, I was lucky to catch a couple of twin smiles on camera.

Cameron


Jameson


Here, Jon gets Corbin ready for a morning out in the snow. He went last year, but I am sure he didn't remember it. He had a great time, even if it took a little preparation to get out there.



I like this photo because Corbin is giving his best "Home Alone"/Macaulay Culkin impression


Not looking like he likes getting ready for snowdays...


Oooh, what is this?


Does it stick to my boots?


Daddy threw a snowball at me, but I didn't quite get it...


Daddy helps me make a pseudo-snowman


Am I supposed to do something with this thing, Dad?


Do I have permission...?


Destructo!!


Proud of my work!


Then, Daddy took my sledding out front


A good smile for the camera


On New Year's Day, we got a few great pics of Corbin being sweet with Cameron






And, of course, on New Year's Day, we had to fly the Rose Bowl flag!! The Bucks showed those ducks!



This morning, we all woke up at 7:45 and were all ready to leave the house for Toledo at 9 AM, which I believe is a new record. Maybe we are getting used to this organization thing!

We rolled into Toledo around noon & had a fun pizza lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Kranz. We had a great visit & even remembered to take some pics this time!

Great-grandpa Kranz and Cameron


Jamie tells Great-grandma Kranz a little story






The proud great grandparents and Corbin, during a tickle-fest


Then we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Montgomery's house, where we had pumpkin pie for dessert. Yeah, we sort of blew our diet today!

Here is Jameson and Great-grandma Montgomery


and then she says hi to Cameron


Jamie with Grandma KK


The twins and the great-grandparents


Great-grandpa Montgomery and Jamie


Great-grandma Montgomery (and I) caught a smile


Corbin really loved this Christmas display, which played the Nutcracker scenes. He was so sleepy & enjoyed the cuddle time with great-grandpa.


He'll stay awake for a couple of ice cream Dibs, though!


More Team Kranz updates coming soon!