Life

Some days I can handle life better than others. This is not one of them. During the 3am feeding, I got up to find two cockroaches 3 inches long in my kitchen!!! Yuck! After killing one and losing the other behind the cabinets, I was nearly sick to my stomach as I tried to go back to sleep. This morning as I was washing my face and cleaning before playgroup met here, I heard banging. I found Gabriel banging one of his toys on the keyboard of my laptop. It seems to work again after I rebooted it. Then this afternoon I gave Gabriel some peanut butter to snack on. I turn my back for a second and found him looking at me with guilt as he smeared peanut butter all over his castle toy. I sent him to wash the peanut butter off his hands (nevermind the stuff in his hair). What I can't clean out of the cracks of the castle I figure the cockroaches will finish for me. Ugh!

Gabriel came out of the bathroom saying, "Mommy, are you happy or mad or sad?" What can I say?! He's cute still. And this is just another typical day. I know a year from now when I read this in my blog book I'll look back and laugh.

Otherwise, his new phrases today are "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" and "Nice to see you again."

Maybe I should have taken Ephraim's advice from last night:

10 weeks

I tried to get in a mini photo shoot before Gabriel woke up, but Ephraim was out of it. Just blowing bubbles here.
And a little smile for mom before I gave up.

Bath Time

I have given Ephraim lots of sponge baths, especially his head and hands, but I haven't submerged him yet. Until tonight. I waited until Paul was available to put Gabriel to bed (so I could safely focus) and put the baby bathtub in our tub. (I used to bathe Gabriel in the kitchen, but we don't have any counter space here.)
Ephraim loved his bath! He was kicking and smiling in the warm water. He is such a big boy now. He can hold his head up, still wobbly but strong. He loves looking at things and talking to them. Such a good-natured sweetie!
Gabriel continues to keep me on my toes. We are starting potty training again, but slowly, just a few hours a day when he wants. He loves putting on the big boy underwear. Not sure how long this will last or how to progress. He did inform me today (since we've been talking about his upcoming birthday) that he's not a big boy yet. He said he'll be a big boy when he turns three. I guess that's when things will get serious.

Some funny recent Gabriel-isms:
Gabriel says, "I change my mind" and "nevermind" sometimes when he makes a mistake.

I was cooking dinner and Paul had just come home and was in the bathroom. On his own, Gabriel went to the bathroom door and said, "Dad, dinner's ready!" This is not unusual, but I told Gabriel that dinner wasn't quite ready yet. Gabriel shushed me and tried to coax dad out of the bathroom with another, "Dad, dinner's ready!" So clever.

2 months

Ephraim had his 2 month check up today (9 weeks exactly). He is 12 lbs 8 oz (75th percentile)!! And he is 24 3/4 inches long. He is off the charts he's so tall, which I can believe because he is too long for the footed pjs. As a comparison, Gabriel was 22 inches and 9 lbs 3 oz at his 2 month check up. Ephraim took the shots well and is sleeping now. He's on a somewhat regular schedule, taking a long nap between 11am and 3pm and again between 9pm and 1am. We have long conversations where he smiles and goos and aahs at us. His hair is slightly lighter than when he was born, but still dark brown and lots of it. I just looked up that Gabriel had his first haircut at 11 months. Ephraim's hair will have to be cut way before then.

Gabriel and Ephraim Talk

I took this video last Friday, but I found it again tonight as I was backing up the camera photos. Gabriel is so cute as he tries to teach his little brother to talk and then pretends to interpret what he said. I love Ephraim's smiles and vocal reactions to his big brother!



Ephraim turned 2 months today!
The "hmmm" look with daddy before church.
A smile for mom at night.

Early Birthday

Gabriel turns 3 in July and we were thinking of getting a swing set for the backyard for him. Then Paul found a climbing wall pyramid... then it went on sale! We thought we'd get it early so he could play on it during all the nice weather. It came this week, so we invited John and Everett and Megahn to help us put it together.
Paul sits on top to hold it together while John uses the electric screwdriver. Gabriel thinks it's loud.
Gabriel is king of the mountain while it is anchored to the ground.
Happy boy!

Family

Family picture on Sunday, after Ephraim's blessing. We had all three sets of grandparents over, which was quite a treat on Mother's Day.
Paul got this photo of the boys, I like that they're both in it.

Photoshoot at Home

I love Gabriel's smile here.
May 1, 2010

May 7, 2010
I love Ephraim's smile!
This is our favorite!