Giggles

Kale giggled for the first time today, and I was able to get a small snippet of it on video. Can't wait for him to do it more!

Gettin' jiggy with it

Grandpa Greg and Grandma Ellen gave Nolan a singing Elvis teddy bear playing the piano for Christmas last year. He LOVES it! We laugh every time he pulls out his jazzy/bluesy dance moves.

The little things

As Tricia and I have both realized during the last two weeks, the amount of time and effort of having not one, but two little guys in the house under the age of 2 years is a little crazy. Tricia's maternity leave is on its last leg (1 month left) and year-end push for audit work is picking up for me as well. So I'm basically seeing Kale from 5:30 until 7:00 (maybe) each night and Nolan is about the same, except for our little half hour stint in the morning while we go through the "wake-up" routine. This morning was too funny, Nolan literally was kicking the wall (his sign to let us know he's up) at 6:40 so I open the door and I hear "DAD!" in his little under-stated way. He crawls out of his bed from in-between the safety bar, his pillow, and the wall where he finally gets is footing while rubbing his little belly. Then of course he has to play with his two little pillows that match the quilt while I pick out his outfit for the day. (A green shirt with a Jeep on it, with matching camo pants of course!) We go through the trying to potty routine, which ended with him leaping off stark naked and running to his bedroom without having "made a deposit." We get ready to go, brush his teeth while he holds onto my Sonicare and then he has to help hold my toothbrush while I do mine-he's such a help…maybe he'll be a dentist? After milling around the house we finally get his shoes on, and he helped pull the Velcro over (which he was super excited about). Then winter coat, matching hat, with a sprint to the bedroom he wakes up a sleeping Tricia to get a kiss goodbye then like a flash we're on the way to daycare…all in 15 minutes-not bad. Tomorrow morning I'm taking both boys…so hold on for that update!

Kale continues to give us lots of smiles as well, unfortunately they tend to be before he goes through the new physical therapy regiment of trying to get his head to turn to the left better. Tricia has been running that little guy back and forth between the chiropractor and now PT a lot lately. Our hope is that the flat spot developing (and actually getting worse) on the back-right portion of his skull will meld back into the position that it should be. Kale's ears have become noticeably different in relation to each other and his left eye has started to slightly change as well-both of which are signs that we're doing the right thing by trying to correct the bone movement in his head. We do have an appointment on the books with a orthodontic prostetic specialist next month about getting him into a helmet to shape his head more if needed-so more to come on that I'm sure. (Too bad the Vikings are sucking it up so bad, cause I doubt Tricia will let him wear a Steelers helmet!) Our niece, Allie, had a helmet on and I think that it's one of those things where if we can help Kale out now any future ramifications from having a flat head could be curtailed, but it's tough when you have to turn his head and he doesn't want to!

I think both Tricia and I are recovered from Thanksgiving and our lack of sleep from having two boys in the same room with us, but if anyone has any good ideas as to how to keep a 20-month old from wanting to get out of their sleeping bag and join you every 2/3 minutes I think you'd have an attentive audience! Other than that, the Christmas lights are up outside the house, the tree is lit and ready for gifts to be placed underneath, and the annual Bleck letter is going to get printed tomorrow…all sorts of holiday spirit around our place!

Update from Tricia: Nolan went potty again on Sunday! Adam was giving him a bath and Nolan decided that it was a good time to let some kiddies swim at the pool. Adam quickly grabbed him out of the tub and put him on his potty. While Adam did clean-up Nolan sat there - and when he got up he had gone potty! Adam went from being irritated to really excited in a quick hurry. We know it's going to take a very long time to potty train Nolan, but we're going to keep trying every time we have an opportunity. Nolan is talking a lot now days, and has come home this week with a new saying he picked up at daycare - "I want that". He learned it from the older kids when toy commercials come on during cartoons. Nolan has no idea what he wants, but he likes to say it! Jane called me today to let me know that Nolan loves playing the video game "Just Dance" for the Wii. She said she's impressed with how well he imitates what he sees on the screen. I do have to say he has some killer dance moves!

As Adam said, Kale is requiring quite a few trips around town these days, plus a lot of work at home. The physical therapist did a measurement of his head on Tuesday, and it measured at a 10. Below a 7 means the head is symetrical, so a helmet isn't required. Between a 7-12 rates as moderate, so that's currently where Kale falls. Insurance would cover a helmet at this point, but we can't get him in for the laser measurement of this head until January (he has to be 4 months old). In the meantime he's going to go to physical therapy every other Tuesday from now until February, and I'll continue to take him to the chiropractor for the time being. Adam and I both agree that we're willing to put in the time it takes now in hopes his head will start to correct itself. The PT also told us that his neck muscles might improve if we can get his acid reflux under control. We started him on Prilosec on Monday, and so far the results have been positive. He still spits up a little right after his bottle, but he's no longer spitting up hours after the bottle. Kale is spending as little time on his back as possible, which may help, too. He is keeping himself most busy by trying to get his thumb to stay in his mouth for an extended period of time. He can get it in there, but it falls out soon after. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he'll figure it out before I go back to work!

Tomorrow I'm taking a much needed day for myself while Kale goes to daycare with Nolan. I have a full day planned - Christmas shopping, haircut, massage and pedicure. Here's hoping the weather holds up so the roads aren't terrible! Adam is gone Saturday night at a hockey game in Mankato, so it's just me and the boys. Paulette is coming over to hang out Saturday afternoon, and I have big plans to wrap some Christmas gifts after the boys go to bed. They both go to bed at the same time (between 6:30 and 7), so it does make for a peaceful evening.

Oh - funny story. On the way to my appointments with Kale on Tuesday I saw a turkey and an eagle standing on the ice on Lake Minnetonka. Yes, you read that correctly - a turkey and an eagle. Maybe they were celebrating a late Thanksgiving meal:)

The long week

Last week was a tough week at our house. Adam's Grandma Ellen passed away. She was an amazing woman and she is going to be missed by everyone who knew her. I'm so happy and honored to have gotten to know her over the last 5 1/2 years. She was kind, generous, classy and talented. The last quilt she made was Nolan's baseball quilt, and that's something we'll cherish forever! Adam and I are extremely proud that our boys will carry on the Bleck family name, too.

Adam's back gave out on him last Wednesday, and thankfully super Dave came to the rescue again! Dave took Adam to urgent care and pick up his prescriptions. In addition to the pills, Adam has made a few visits to the chiropractor. He's been laying pretty low and trying not to do any lifting, which is difficult when you have a 20 month old and a 2 month old at home! He's at Greg and Ellen's right now, soaking his sore back in the hot tub.

I feel very fortunate that my dad and Adam's parent's were able to help Adam out this weekend with the boys so I could enjoy a night away with my mom and sisters in St. Cloud. We literally shopped til we dropped! I didn't quite get all our Christmas shopping done, but it's a good start. It felt so good to sneak away for a night and not have any one to think about except me - and to sleep through the night! It sounds selfish, but I really needed it:)

Last week Kale made another big step in the sleeping through the night category. His typical routine in the evening is to go to bed around 6:15 or 6:30. I do an early dream feed around 7, and then another one at 10:30. As long as he hasn't leaked through his jammies he'll sleep until 3:30 or 4. Last Wednesday he slept from 6:30 to 6:30, straight through! I woke up and didn't know what hit me, as it was the first time I had really slept through the night since before he was born! Nolan was also feeling extra kind that same morning, as he didn't wake up until close to 7. Kale also had his 8 week check up last Wednesday, at 8 1/2 weeks old. We had noticed he seemed to be getting bigger, but we weren't expecting that it would be as much as it was! He weighs 11 lbs 15 oz (50%) and is 24.25 inches long
(90%!). He has a wee little head right now, only checking in at 25% (I think it's around 16 or 16 1/2 inches). Kale is an inch and a half longer than Nolan was at this age, and is a little over a pound heavier. I'm afraid to think how big he might be when he gets to Nolan's age! We had our pediatrician check the flat spot on his head, and she said she isn't super concerned yet, but it's something we need to keep an eye on. We also told her about how Kale is really congested sounding after he eats, and how he does this weird thing where he seems to stop breathing for a second or so, and then takes a deep breath and continues on. He happened to do it at his appointment, and it's reflux! We should have picked up on the signs, since Nolan had the same thing. He's been real spitty lately, too. He has a prescription for Zantac. So far we haven't really seen results, but our dr. asked we give it a week and if it's not working to call back and we can try something else. Kale had his first day at daycare on Friday, because we didn't want to take both boys to the funeral. Jane had to get a license variance for Kale because she has too many kids under the age of 2 until March. There's another baby who goes to daycare Tuesday-Thursday, so Jane has room for Kale on Monday's and Friday's if we need it. Come December Kale is going to go to daycare every Friday, to break in both he and Nolan. The first report was good, so we're hoping that will continue.

Nolan is certainly becoming more of a toddler. A report from daycare last week went like this - "he sure is stubborn, but a joy to have in the house". Not sure if that's good or bad! It's become par for the course that Nolan will get a few timeouts during the week, primarily for not listening. On the up side his speech and vocabulary is improving every day. It will sure make our job as parent's a lot easier when he can actually tell us what's wrong, instead of us trying to figure it out with him.

Hard to believe but Thanksgiving is literally right around the corner. We have plans to head up to Gina and Eric's on Thursday morning, but we need to wait and see what the weather is going to do. If it's anything like the skating rink on the roads this past weekend we'll be staying home!

Timber!

The boys and I are home alone again this weekend - Adam is at the farm trying to get another deer. They must know I'm the only one here, because last night Nolan went to bed at 6:25 and Kale went down at 7:10. The best part is Kale didn't wake up to eat until 4:45 this morning! Nolan started talking around 5:30, but he wasn't crying so I ignored it until he finally got up at 7. I felt surprisingly well rested today! Nolan again went down at 6:30 tonight, and Kale at the same time of 7:10. It's nice to be able to have some down time to get things done around the house!

Today was an eventful day. We woke up to several inches of very heavy snow that had fallen overnight. It was so heavy that it started taking out our 20 year old maple tree in our front yard, branch by branch! I was in Kale's room with the boys when we heard something crash in to the house. Nolan heard it, said "uh oh" and made a beeline for the kitchen to see what it was. I wasn't too concerned - I thought maybe a gutter had fallen off the house. When I finally went in to the kitchen to look out the window I saw a fairly large branch laying near the house. One by one other branches fell throughout the morning, until only half of the tree was left standing - and it did not appear to be very sturdy. Luckily my brothers-in-law were around this weekend, and they came over to help take care of the tree issue. I was really concerned with the weight of the snow that the largest section of the tree that hadn't fallen yet would tumble down on to the house, right on Nolan and Kale's bedrooms. It took about 4 hours, but the tree is down. Our front yard looks very, very empty. In addition to the help from Dave and Josh, our neighbors Todd, Jim and Kurt were super helpful, too. There is no way I could have shoveled this snow or taken care of this tree, so thanks to all!

Hard to believe, but Kale is 2 months old today! He has changed so much since he was born. He is a very smiley baby, and is quite a talker. He is content most of the time, except in the evening after dinner - that's his crabby time. He's up to 5 oz. of formula at each feeding, and is a pretty amazing sleeper. He recently has taken an interest in watching Nolan. He seems to really enjoy his big brother's antics and entertainment - especially Nolan's mad dancing skills! His neck movement continues to improve, and he's doing really well with tummy time - in fact, he's been rolling over from his tummy to back for a few weeks. His 2 month appointment is on the 22nd. It will be fun to see how much he's grown!


Right after Kale was born I picked up a potty chair to put in the bathroom, so we could start introducing Nolan to it over the next few months. We try and have him go "potty" before bathtime and naps, if he wants to do it. We're not pushing it - just trying to keep it fun and exciting. Last night he made his first big steps in to the world of potty training - he dribbled in the potty! I was so excited for him, although I'm sure he thought I was crazy with the way I was cheering for him! Each time he sits on the potty he gets an M&M. Hopefully that will keep him motivated! Nolan loves playing with his blocks and building towers, and is learning how to count. He has the number 1 down with no problem, and he even knows that's how old he is! He enjoys coloring at his play table, and loves to throw around any ball he can get his hands on - football, baseball, soccer ball, etc. He has quite the arm on him! We're working with him so he can learn how to catch the ball. It's harder than you think. This afternoon after his nap I tried to take him outside to see the snow. He was not a fan of his new snow boots. He's used to his tennis shoes, which sit below his ankle. He did not like how the boots felt on his legs. He refused to walk outside, which is loads of fun for me - especially since he weighs 27 lbs! I just have to remember that it's considered exercise every time I have to carry him around:)


Wednesday morning brought us some very sad news. Adam's grandma had a stroke Tuesday evening sometime, and wasn't found until Wednesday morning. She's in the hospital, and is not expected to make it. She is an amazing woman - still lives in her own house, walks on the treadmill, goes to coffee downtown, and quilts. In fact, she just made Nolan a baseball quilt and gave it to him at Kale's baptism! Pretty darn good for being almost 97 years old! We're sending lots of prayers to her and the family, but any extra are appreciated.

Daylight unsavings time

Up until a few years ago I loved daylight savings time - the falling back part, that is. Who couldn't use an extra hour of sleep? But alas, kids change that, and the falling back part really screws with their sleep. Nolan started talking at 5 AM on Sunday morning - which would have been 6 if not for DST. I brought him in to bed with me in hopes I could get a little more sleep, but at 5:25 neither of us could take it:) Plus, Kale heard Nolan talking and thought he should join in the party, too. The nice thing about Kale is that he fell back asleep! I remember having this issue with sleep last year, too. It took about a week for Nolan to get back on track.

I really enjoyed my time with the boys this weekend. We stuck close to home and kept a normal routine, which was great for all of us. Nolan didn't wake up once either night, and Kale didn't wake up to eat until 4 on Saturday a.m. and 3:30 on Sunday. I really appreciate the fact he goes right back to sleep after that bottle and doesn't get up until after 7! I took a walk with them both days, and even got to spend some time playing with Nolan's outdoor toys, possibly for the last time this year. Even though the boys were great, I was still pretty tired last night. It's just go go go with both of them - no time for resting during the day! Adam also enjoyed his weekend hunting, as he was able to bag a doe on Sunday morning. He's going again next weekend, in hopes of getting the elusive buck.

Nolan's vocabulary is quickly expanding. He can repeat just about everything we say these days! The best is when he gets in trouble and I ask him to repeat back what I said. He totally knows what I'm saying and it actually makes sense when he repeats it back! I love the fact I can ask him to do very specific tasks and he completes them - like getting me things for Kale. It sure helped me out this weekend! He is turning in to such a little boy. On Saturday morning he tooted, which isn't unusual for him. In the past it hasn't phased him, but not anymore. He turned to look at me and started laughing! How do boys know to do that???

Kale is getting so big - 7 weeks old already! I weighed him today and he weighs exactly 9 lbs. What a little chunk! He is doing really well. Last night he went to bed at 7:15 and didn't wake up to eat until 4! I have been blessed with 2 very good sleepers. People always say God gives you what you can handle, so I guess I wouldn't be able to handle kids who don't sleep:) I've been taking Kale to the chiropractor 2 days a week for the last 3 weeks. He's making progress, slowly but surely. He turns his head with no problem when he's laying on his back or when we're holding him. The problem he has is during tummy time. He will only turn his head to the right. I guess I just need to be patient - or at least that's what our chiropractor tells me!

I'm so excited for my big night out tonight. I'm going to Let's Dish to dish up our dinner for the month. I'm trying to find ways to make life less stressful at our house, and I determined that the most stressful time of the day is dinnertime. Everyone is tired and a little cranky, so Adam and I decided that since we already need to spend money on groceries we might as well make is easy and have the meals frozen and in our freezer, ready to be made. Plus, it's all made with fresh ingredients, so it's healthier than a lot of other things we could be making!

Trick or treat?

This Halloween didn't quite go as smoothly as last year. We were in Deerwood for 4 days and 3 nights prior to the big holiday, and Nolan was all out of sorts [SIDEBAR: sleeping in the same room with your kids is probably the worst idea ever. No one sleeps, and everyone is a little on the cranky side!]. He did really well when we went to Erica's house to show he and Kale off (it could have been his first Tootsie pop sucker, too!). After we got home he melted down, so there was no way we were going to take him around the neighborhood. Kale had a bit of a crying spell at the same time, so our house was very loud! We thought that by not turning on the outside house lights the trick or treaters wouldn't stop by, but that wasn't the case. We actually had to turn off all the lights on the main level and hang out downstairs! We're hoping next year will be our year, and that both boys will cooperate. We are slowly catching up on our lack of sleep from last weekend. Kale treated me on Monday night by not waking me up until 5:15 am. A full nights sleep is just what the Great Pumpkin ordered!

Adam was super excited to get to hunt ducks and grouse last Thursday - Saturday. He said Thursday was his best duck hunting ever! Nolan got to see some of the ducks that came home with Adam and Eric. Hopefully he'll be a hunter so Adam can take him in a few years. Adam also killed his first ever grouse. I'm not sure what grouse tastes like, but I'm sure I'll find out soon. My guess is probably like chicken.

This weekend Adam is off to the farm to hunt, so I'm staying at home with the boys. It will be tiring, but fun to hang out with both of them. I'm hoping the weather will cooperate so we can spend some time outside.