The Month of October

Wow! I just got done writing a huge post. I began it by saying how much I love the blogger app and it should help me keep with posting easier. Then, the blogger app ate my whole post and sent it to the Internet cyber dump. Wow. Wow. Ok. Let us start again. I need to take a deep breath.

There are lots of things that happen in October that make it special us. First is Izzie's birthday. Second is the fair. Third is Halloween. However, this month of October we had some other events that made it even more memorable. We had Izzie's preschool fall festival and a visit from the great grandparents. Izzie and Garrett call them Grandma and Grandpa, even thought they technically are great ;).

Izzie turned three. At the pediatrician's, she weighed 36lbs and 39" tall. She also wears 4T and has a size 9 foot. Ok... Izzie's birthday was so wonderful. We had a hard time deciding what to do, but I'm so glad we decided on the Kona ice truck. She loved it. I know she felt special. We had our close friends and family come over to our house. We had the typical pizza and snacks. Then, the truck came. Izzie didn't have a clue. She got to go on the truck and help make everyone's snowcones. She then had her own complete with a gummy shark. She threw some snowballs at her dad, too. We went back in to open presents. Izzie really knows how to tear them open fast, that way she can start playing faster. She wasn't happy when "baby brother," as she calls him, tried to play as well. I wouldn't be happy either if I had a mini Godzilla trying to chunk my dolls all over the place. She can get a little rough sometimes. Most of the time they do great together though.

Her third birthday was over quickly. So bittersweet, she's growing so fast. Preschool has really matured her. I still try to steal some hugs and cuddles when I can. I think that's why I haven't forced her out of our bed. I hope she just realizes one day that she wants her own bed more than mine. I hope that's before 10 haha.

The fair was great, too. Izzie rode everything like a professional. She is a little daredevil and nothing scares her. She rode everything they would let her. Garrett rode a choo choo train and a carousel, too! We saw the worst poodle magic show ever. Ok, we haven't ever seen one before but I'm sure this had to be the worst ever. Haha. The kids didn't even like it. Izzie liked the lemonade and Garrett preferred the fries.

Halloween, woooo! Well, Garrett's bedtime is 7:30 most nights. Any day that requires much time beyond that is a little rough. It will be better next year. I was hoping to have them wear matching costumes, but Izzie wanted to be a witch. She was the cutest, good witch ever. Garrett was a pretty cool pirate. Mom and dad enjoyed their candy. Ok, I won't lie, they enjoyed a few pieces as well.

Our kids are such a blessing to us. All of these holidays and birthdays would be nowhere near as much fun without them. They make us laugh so many times a day. They bring us so much love and joy.

The Fun Months

Garrett is just shy of 18 months old. I remember these days with Izzie and how things became even more fun than ever before. Garrett has always been a little ham, but now he is making us all giggle and smile even more. He's been so lovey dovey. He loves for me to sneak up to his room when he whines. I could just rock him forever and he would let me. It seems to be the only time that he lets me just hold him and hug him and kiss on him until my heart is overflowing. He's growing up so fast. 18 months is special to me. It's a sweet little age.

Wood chips

Funny. One day this past month, Todd picked Izzie up from preschool. We always ask her what she did that day and if she had fun. Most of the time, before she even walks out of the church she tells us as loud as she can, "I had fun mommy!! I want to do it again!" Well, Todd asked her this particular day and when he did she gave him an ear full. She normally won't tell us what she exactly did. However, this time she did. It started like this, " Daddy, Bennett Farmer put wood chips in my HAIR! I told him no, no, no! Then, he got time out and I left my bow at school." Todd had to take a couple minutes to digest all the information. We noticed her bow was missing. The next day when she went to school, her teacher have me the now and I giggled as I told her our story. The other teacher chimed in saying Izzie had two of the boys' names mixed up. It was actually a boy named Asher. They didn't deny the happenings, which doesn't bother us because we find it a bit funny. Izzie loves telling everyone about Bennett Farmer and the wood chips. Haha. We definitely don't instigate her telling the stories ;). I'm thinking Bennett Farmer is actually one of her favorites at school, since it seems she brings him up all the time whether it is a story about wood chips or not. These moments make our days full of laughter and smiles.

Izzie's Preschool

It's been awhile again since blogging, but I hope even if I skip a couple months here and there I can remember the moments and come back to write about them. It's kind of like keeping a journal. I hope I can print the entries out someday for the kids to read and laugh about.

This past January, being a new parent, I realized Izzie was old enough to start preschool. I wasn't sure what I was looking for or what to do. However, I'm glad that I took the initiative at that time to find out because most preschools enroll the children at the beginning of a new year for the start of the next school year. If I hadn't thought to start looking around, we might have missed out on our great little preschool. I knew I wanted Izzie in a church setting. I started looking online and then started calling a few churches immediately. One of the first ones I got in contact with was First Baptist of Lexington. They told me we could come in with the kids to talk and take a tour. I called Todd immediately after getting off the phone and had him rush to meet me there. I wanted to go look that day, because they had already started enrolling and only had a couple spots left in their one day program. I wanted Izzie to go just one day. I didn't want to share her anymore than that. I wasn't used to the idea of her not being with me during the week. We went, checked them out, and immediately knew this was the preschool for her. It was clean, new, the staff was very nice, and Izzie wanted to stay that day instead of going home. We put her in the one day program, but Todd wanted to put her on the two day waiting list. She was the first in line for it. Todd talked to me a lot about two days, but I still didn't want Izzie to be away from me for two days. Fast forward to August, we get a call saying Izzie had the two day spot. I didn't know what to do. I talked to Todd, some other moms with experience, and family. After all that, I gave in. I'm so glad I did!

Izzie had her first day the first week of September. She was actually sick the first day and ended up having her first real day on the second day the preschool had class. During the orientation week, they let he children come in with their parents to see the classroom and play. She warmed up quickly to my surprise. She's always been shy around strangers and has taken a long time to shake off any jitters. So, getting her ready for school wasn't hard, but dropping her off was. They don't allow parents to walk in the classroom while dropping off. I was shocked at first by this policy. I completely understand how it works out best now. She cried I think going in to class three times total. She was never crying when I picked her up though. After those first few times, she walked in like a professional, hanging her book bag up, walking over to their table for their morning activity, and never looks back at the door. She has blossomed so much! Things she used to be frightened of are no longer scary and I give all the credit to preschool. She really is a big girl, but she will always be my baby.

She has learned a ton already and I'm so thankful for the decision we made. Next year, I will have two in preschool. I don't know what I will do with my alone time. I know I always miss Izzie when she is there and can't wait to pick her up everyday. I'm sure that will never change.

One Year Appointment for Garrett

He was 28lbs and 31inches tall. Although, we believe the nurse messed up on his height. He was squirming all over. He's so strong, the nurses are surprised every time. I can hardly get a diaper on his hiney, because he is so strong. He is wearing mainly 2T clothing, but we can squeeze him into some 18 and 24 month stuff. He is in a size 6 shoe. He has 8 teeth, that I know of. Honestly, I haven't had a chance to look all the way in the back by his molars lately. He is a pretty healthy eater. He eats most of the stuff we give him. However, he doesn't like the good stuff. Who doesn't like grilled cheese, macaroni, spaghetti?! What a crazy boy. He is walking all over the place, throws balls/objects clear across the room, and jumps on everything. We still think he is left handed.

Birthday Boy!

Garrett's first birthday was a huge hit. We had such a hard time deciding what to do for a hot, steamy July birthday. Well, after a lot of brainstorming, we decided to go with a wet jump house and slide for the backyard. I wasn't sure if it was the right choice, but it definitely was. The kids had so much fun. Ok, I will admit... the adults did, too. Todd and I watched them set up the slide and both could not wait for the party to be over so we could get on haha.

We had just gotten back from the beach, literally the day before. I had not bought a single thing. I am so glad it turned out good. I went the afternoon we got back and got the few things we needed.

Garrett was a little shy when it came to tearing into his cake. He would only stick his finger in the icing and then finally after a few minutes (ok, and a small little hand push from mom) he destroyed it.



 We had so much fun. The party flew by. We blinked and it was over. Sort of sad. I can't believe he is already a year old. He's running all over the house, climbing, throwing balls, making messes with his sister, making his sister mad, making his sister laugh, and being a boy! Gosh, he is all boy.

We love you Garrett Jaco Kirkland.

Family Beach Vaca

Our one and only vacation so far this year. We all could not wait to go! We counted down the days until we left for Surfside Beach. Nina, Grandaddy, Uncle Eric with his girlfriend Katie and her daughter Sam, and of course all of us went. We had a house right on the beach with a pool. We got to go to this same beach house three years ago when I was about 7 months pregnant with Izzie. I was so happy to not be pregnant this time. It's awesome to wake up in the morning, eat some breakfast, and sit on the beach all day long. When you sit on the beach all day long, you realize there are things you never knew could get sunburned... like your ears! Poor Izzie's ears. Who would have thought to put sunscreen on your ears? I will never forget to put sunscreen on their ears again.

We had lots of fun. We spent our days with our toes in the sand and splashing in the pool. It was nice to not worry about a single thing. No phone calls, never turned on the tv, didn't have to answer emails. At night, we went out to eat, shopped, or just hung around the house in our pajamas. The beach was hot and the water was so refreshing and cold!

This was Izzie's and Garrett's second time on the beach. They both loved it. Garrett was a little scared the first afternoon, but the next day we couldn't get him to slow down. Garrett loves all types of water. Izzie wasn't quite the same at his age. She's better now. Izzie would just walk right into the ocean with waves going over her head. She scared me a couple times. She also loved going deeper with her daddy and "jumping" the waves. We got to build sandcastles with all the toys Nina brought, too.

We went over the Fourth of July. We got to see the Airforce's planes fly over the beach and the fireworks at night. The kids were too tired to stay up that late. They got to see a couple and then went to bed. I can't believe Garrett slept right through all the bangs and booms.

We were there for a whole week. When we got back (still to this day), Izzie asked me every morning "Mommy, we going to the beach? Please?" At least I can satisfy her with our pool for now.

A Mom's got to do what a Mom's got to do!

Izzie woke up from her nap extra crabby. She tends to be either extreme emotionally after naps. Super crabby or super happy. She's normally super crabby when she's been woken up from a nap earlier than she would like. This particular day, this week, she was horribly crabby. She kept crying and yelling for me to "pick up me, umommy!" Well, when you've got two kids and they both want to be picked up, it's a hard choice which one gets picked up. Eventually, after a long time of brainstorming, I decided I could carry both. I was doing laundry and had a clean flat sheet... Voila!! Problem solved! Izzie was happy and thought it was really cool. I, on the other hand, thought it was a bit 3rd world country-esque. Hey!! Whatever makes my kids happy.

Proud New Parent

That's right! Izzie's the new mom of a beta fish named "Goldfish."

We had another mommy-daughter (double) date with Mrs. Amanda and Ansley. We saw Madagascar 3. She did pretty well. Ate a ton of popcorn and sat in her seat most of the time. I hope we get to go to many more movies together. I need a chick flick partner in the future.

Afterwards, we passed by PetsMart and she was upset because we didn't stop and see the kitty cats. We were in Harbison, so I drove back to Lexington. She kept getting upset, even shed a tear, so like any normal mom I had to stop and let her see the kitties. We went to PetsMart in Lexington. We looked at everything that was breathing in that store. Somehow, we ended up buying a beta. I asked her in line to checkout what she wanted to name her fish. She said "the fishy's name is.... GOLDFISH!" I completely agreed that it was a great name, haha.

We have had serious discussions that Goldfish can't take baths with her, can't sleep with her, and does not need to eat every hour. :)

Father's Day!

It was a good day. It included a home cooked meal by my mom. I got up early. I would have normally slept to get ready for work. Todd got to watch some of the golf tournament. The kids got to spend the day with my parents, hanging out in their kiddie pool. Garrett even ate a rib in honor of his dad ;) the boy eats almost anything. He has 7 teeth now!!

Sesame Street Live

At the last minute, two weekends ago now, I decided to take Izzie to Sesame Street Live. She likes Elmo. It's not love, but we do watch it. She liked him more when she was smaller. I thought it would be a cool mommy-daughter date. She had fun. I wish she had taken a nap though. I think she would have been more excited about it. She did get to shake hands with Abby Caddaby and Elmo. We sat in the second row. We ended up leaving about ten minutes early, because she wanted to go home and I was okay with that. We beat the traffic out of the parking lot. I would give Sesame Street Live a "C."

Too Stinkin' Cute!

Now that Garrett's almost ONE! Izzie and Garrett interact and do so much more together. It's fun, exciting, and emotional times in this house.

The picture is of Izzie and Garrett in her chair. I think Garrett was supposed to be kissing her, but it sure does look like a bite! Either way she liked it and thought he was funny. This chair, from PBK, is their favorite. Izzie got it a Christmas or so ago. Garrett loves to climb up in it and chill out or try to get into trouble by climbing onto whatever is nearby next to it. Izzie does not really like to share (we are trying to work on her), but doesn't mind every once in awhile when she's too busy with her Barbies to notice. Garrett sneaks up on to it. When Izzie does notice, she normally tries to scoot him off with her hiney. He either does one of two things. He will cry and lay his head on the floor for several minutes, it's the saddest sight ever, or he will try to climb over and on her. Little does he know, he will be getting one for his birthday and won't have to fight for the territory.

This little scenario tends to happen with lots of things lately. Sibling love. The funniest was when we started noticing Garrett stealing Izzie's pretty pink princess juice cups in our stroller. We have a side by side double (we actually have 2- a heavy duty and an umbrella) and he would sneak it into his side when she was too busy looking the other way. Eventually, she notices when it's half gone.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth! It's for the birds!

Really. If I had choose to something that I disliked the most in this world, it would by my children being sick. Specifically, it would be my children sick with HFM.

It all started almost two weeks ago when Garrett had a fever. The next day we noticed lots of drooling. Like any normal parent, we thought "Oh! He's teething." He was drooling so much we were changing a bib every couple hours. Then, we noticed that he wasn't finishing his bottles or eating that much. We decided on Saturday morning to have Todd take him to the pediatrician. They diagnosed him with Herpangina. Herpangina is basically HFM without the rash on the body. He had blisters in his throat. It was really sad. The next day we noticed Izzie had a fever and a rash starting. We looked at Garrett and he had the blisters forming on his hands and feet. Needless to say, they both had HFM. They are still getting over the rash and blisters. It's been a really long last couple weeks. I have felt so bad for them. Just glad they are finally healing.

Garrett is 11 Months Old!

I'm sure I have said it before, but life is busy. Everything seems to be speeding by. I'm sad. How are my babies growing up so fast? Please, life, slow down.

Garrett is 11months old. His growth is finally starting to slow down. He is in 18-24month clothes. He's been that way for a couple months. He does wear 2T occasionally.

He isn't walking completely, but can take 4-5 steps with no assistance. He is so careful to not fall and normally lowers himself carefully before he does.

He is sensitive. Please, don't tell him that I said that when he's older and cares haha. He pokes his bottom lip out and cries at the drop of a hat. Todd and I can't help but to laugh sometimes, because it's really silly. For instance, yesterday Izzie was playing around and fell on the floor faking that she had hurt herself. She whined. Garrett looked over and started balling. I think he thought she was really hurt. We had to laugh. Izzie got up, patted him on the back, and said "It's ok baby brother!" Do not ever take something away from him, because he cries like a ..... Well you know.

He's a great sleeper, but not a cuddler. He sleeps through the night and takes naps in his cribs. Nothing like Izzie. Izzie is the exact opposite, but I do love her cuddles.

He has 6 teeth with another about to poke through.

We are blessed with two children. A boy and a girl. They have their own unique personalities. Life is beautiful with them. I love watching them grow. Just wish it would all slow down.

Kirkland Family Dinners

I was standing in the kitchen doing dishes. Todd was grilling hamburgers for dinner. Izzie was in the dining room sitting at her table while Garrett was in his walker wreaking havoc. He pretty much bulldozes over everything in that thing.

Todd sticks his head in the door and asks me for a plate. I go to hand him one. As I do, I hear a little fussing out towards the area of the dining room and then a screaming cry from Garrett. I run in there. I said, "Izzie what happened?!" She says, "Garrett has a booboo. He hurt his finger mommy!" I continue asking "How did he hurt his finger?" Garrett continues to cry. Izzie says "IN MY MOUTH!" I look at what seems to be two little red fingers and there appears to be two indentions. Two indentions that look awfully like two little teeth marks. Just another dinner time at the Kirkland home.

That was nothing compared to the dinner this week where Izzie was sneaking chicken nuggets to Barkley, our dog. He accidentally thought her finger was the chicken nugget. There was no blood, but you would have thought he took it off the way she screamed. She then proceeded to "get sick" at the table... and by sick I mean throw up. We cleaned up the kids, put them to bed, and I went back to the table to eat. Todd asked me how I could eat after that. I told him that's my job as a mom and nurse. I'm use to cleaning things up and taking a break haha.

Potty Training

This has been my least favorite duty as a parent. I have been dreading it probably since the day she born. We ended up doing it though. Izzie is finally in little girl panties, no diapers, no pullups, and she is doing great. We have had our ups and downs. Overall, I'm so impressed with how well she has done. We decided some time in the beginning of March, I think. I knew I was going to dedicate the whole week to getting the job done. I heard of this 3 day potty training plan. It required lots of attention on my part, absolutely no pullups diapers even at night, and stickers or treats. The first day was horrible. She went only once or twice in the potty and about ten accidents. The second day was about half and half. The third day, I think she only had maybe one accident. She never peed in the bed! I thought it was a miracle. She's still doing great. We have our moments, but she they are few and far between. Yay for only one baby in diapers! They were in the same size by the way... size 5's!!!

Easter

Easter Sunday, we celebrated with both of our family. We spent the morning with Nina and Grandaddy at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian and then ate lunch at O'Charley's with them. Afterwards, we went to Mimi and Poppy's house to find eggs and eat again. Izzie did so well finding eggs. We told her the Easter Bunny came and left eggs for her to find. She grasped the concept quickly and found them all with very little help. Of course, these spoiled rotten babies had an Easter basket at everybody's house. The Easter bunny left them at our house first and Izzie had to find them, because he hid them. She was very excited about all the goodies. We enjoyed the church service and they did wonderfully in the nursery. Izzie ended up crying a little at the end, but she was ok. She is newly potty trained and I don't think she liked going in a strange bathroom or something. Silly girl.

Garrett is 9 Months Old

Well, ok, it is tough as a mom to keep up this blog, but he is still 9 months old. Todd took him to his 9 month well check which was of course at the wonderful Dr. Guyton's office. He was 26lbs, so he hasn't gained hardly any weight since his 6 month visit. Todd doesn't remember how long he was.  He has been running all over the house. Not literally running, but crawling like crazy and running around in his walker. He moves around a lot faster than Izzie did. He is almost 10 months old now. He isn't walking yet, but I'm not surprised. Izzie walked around 9.5 months old, but Garrett has a lot more body to carry around. He is pulling up on anything he can get his hands on. I even catch him letting go at times. He can stand for a little while without falling down. He is so careful. You can tell he is thinking about taking a step, but instead he looks at you and carefully gets back on his knees to crawl.

He is high maintence! He wants to go, go, go, all the time! He wants to do what he wants to do and does not want you to tell him otherwise. He doesn't like when I leave the room. He screams and will even bang his little fist on the door (don't worry I don't leave him closed in a room unattended, haha, I'm talking about when I leave him with Todd or someone else). He's so emotional that way. Forget cuddling with this little man. He does not cuddle. He has his mind on too much to sit still. Izzie always cuddled.

Garrett could eat a whole grocery store full of food in one meal. I don't want to know what my grocery bill is going to be like when he is a teen. He will eat anything you give him, at least so far. It's great. You don't have to worry about what to give him. You can just give him whatever you are eating. He chews everything up, with his 5 teeth, perfectly.

He is into everything. He is going to be a toy hog. His sister is already not agreeing with his initiatives to take over her toys. We have gotten in a few tissy fits, because he decides he wants something that is "hers." He can scream just as loud as she can though.

He likes the pool. We had our first visit to the pool last week. He liked his little floaty and was even sticking his head in the water. Ok, it might not haven been purposefully, but he didn't flip out.

He LOVES balls. Any ball you give him, even ones bigger than him, he chases around the room and grabs onto. This makes Todd happy.

We think he might be a lefty. He tends to grab things 90% of the time with his left hand. There is no one left handed in our immediate family. I know it could possibly still change though.

He is still sleeping in his crib like a champ. He goes to bed around 7pm and sleeps usually until 7am. We will hear him start to talk in his crib and then you usually hear him push the monitor off his crib while banging empty bottles around the rails.

He can climb the stairs.

His first word was definitely "mama." :)

So Blessed

I've been so blessed with the family God has given me. Everytime I look at these babies, I'm reminded of what He has given me. I hope everyone gets to experience blessings like these.

A Safe Place

Garrett is moving all over. He wasn't crawling when this picture was taken, but he is now at 8 months old. He was basically rolling his way around, literally. We decided it was time to turn the pack and play into a safe place for him. Basically, we just took the bassinet fixture off and lowered it. It was getting necessary so I could leave him for a minute to do things like brush my teeth, go fix a juice cup, go answer the phone. Of course, as soon as we had the pack and play fixed and put Garrett in there, Izzie decided she needed to be in it as well. This safe place was also made for another reason, to keep Izzie away from her brother so I could go do those small things. I'm so glad I have a childproof baby or maybe I should say toddler proof.

A Very Serious Face

I wonder what she is thinking when she looks at me like this. She's so much like me. I love her, serious face and all. It's amazing what we have to do to get her to smile for a picture. She's a girl of a thousand expressions.

No Nap, Crashing

Izzie decided about three months ago that she was too busy to take naps. The only way we could actually get her to close her little eyes was to put her in the car for a ride. This really is not feasible with two children. You can't just pack them up and take a little ride, especially to take a nap. One will decide that it's time to laugh or scream or cry or have a very intense conversation with her baby doll. It's almost impossible. They are just two little people with very different plans.

Since Izzie decided to protest against nap time, I tried to do a "quiet time." This was basically me getting Garrett down in the swing or bed for a nap and her lying quietly watching Elmo or any princess movie you can find. Well, sometimes that works and other times really not so much. So what did I do? I try my best to give Garrett his nap and get her to have quiet time, but realistically, it just sometimes does not happen. I do try though. Let's face it. If both kids are asleep then I am asleep, too.

When Izzie decides to fight sleep all day then this is what happens (see the picture below). I'm just thankful we have enough time to get her in pajamas before she passes out :).

Laundry Day or Week?

I think, she really thought she was climbing Mount Everest.

I don't even know why I am showing this, but this is what has become my laundry day. I really should say laundry week. I need a housekeeper. Oh! how I would like her. I don't know how this happens. Okay, maybe I do. I live with little people who spill things, spit up things, play with dirty things, you name it and it happens in our house. I also live with a husband who likes to change what he is wearing three times a day. We all know where all those outfits go after he has worn them a couple hours. I still love him. I have to admit that I'm sure I don't help our problem. I would like to think to myself that laundry day or umm.. week, looks this way for everyone. I can't be the only mom who fights this war. I hate folding laundry by the way. I hate putting it away, too. A family of four goes through a lot of clothes in a week... ok two weeks. I do laundry every two weeks and this is why it looks like this. I don't like doing laundry. I do like clean clothes though, so it is a must. Maybe one day my children will help... haha.

Teeth and Toes

I know I am his mom. But! He's pretty darn handsome.

He's got some sweet little toes, too. Ok, maybe not so little.

He has a couple cute teeth, too! They aren't cute if he's hungry though. Then, they are pretty sharp.

Valentine's Day

"Hey, What's that?"

Brownies and a card Izzie made her daddy.

My two little munchkins. Love them more than they know.

Valentine's Day is not normally something I personally get excited about. I don't think I am the only one that doesn't really care for the holiday. I just think you should make sure to express your love for someone when they don't expect it and all throughout the year. It means much more to me when I get ready to go to work or some place, get in the car, and "ta-da!" there is a cute little note or card from my husband (true story/happens quite a bit actually/I'm a lucky lady). Anyways, this year was a bit different. I got really excited. I think mostly, because I have two little ones I love so much along with my husband. Another reason is that Izzie is at the age where she likes to do different types of activities. One of those activities is cooking with her mommy and coloring.

For Valentine's Day, Aunt Tori came over to help us make some goodies. We decorated the kitchen with pink and red streamers, too. The first thing we made was a banana bread for Nina and Grandaddy. The next thing, brownies which we poured into little cupcake/muffin tins. We left a couple for daddy and gave some to Poppy and Mimi. With my help of course, Izzie made little cards with markers and her special princess stickers for the grandparents and her daddy. After making the goodies, we all piled in the car to deliver them. I'm pretty sure it was a nice Valentine's Day surprise for everyone.

Todd and I spent the night cheating on our diet, haha! We had been doing great watching what we were eating and just trying to eat healthier. I actually have lost 12lbs. so far. After a long month and a half, we decided it was ok for a treat. We ordered some Mellow Mushroom pizza/calzones to go and rented a movie. Todd also bought a cute little stuffed animal, dog, home that sang Justin Bieber's "baby" song and danced. His little ears flapped up and down to the song. The munchkins loved it. I had actually seen it in one of my patient's rooms at the hospital and asked him to try and find it.

Overall, I think it was the best Valentine's Day ever. It was a great day with my family, the people I love most and would do anything for. I hope they all know how much I love them. They have all changed me for the better and impacted my life more than they will know.

He's a Mover

I told you all in a previous post that Garrett loves his walker. He really does! Izzie had a walker and only would scoot here and there and well mainly backwards. She had no coordination haha. Garrett is quite impressive in his little Jeep. He literally chases you! He is 6 months old and drives his walker like a race car driver. He puts it in reverse, turns corners, and explores every nook and cranny of the house with his walker. Todd and I get lots of laughs from him. Our favorite is when we hear Izzie starting yelling "Baby brother no! Garrett stop! No, no!" Then, she proceeds to find us and tattle. He loves chasing her. Her poor little legs get beat up from him hitting her heels. He's almost faster than her. She has a little table that she will sit at and eat her meals. We normally let Garrett run around in his walker, because he doesn't eat meals yet. He will play bumper cars with her table. It gets pretty funny. Izzie does not find it amusing.

Differences

For some reason, when I became pregnant with Garrett, I always thought that my children would be just a like. When I thought of what he would look like, I thought even though he is a boy.. I'm sure they will look alike, too. I thought they would be one in the same basically. I'm so wrong. I don't know why I thought this. They are two totally different people. I have three sisters. When I think about it, my sisters and I are really not so much alike either. Of course, there are some similarities... some.

Here are a few of the things I have found different about my babies:

Izzie loved to cuddle. She still does. When she was a baby, she would just lay beside me and slowly drift to sleep while I held her. She's two and still likes to for me to hold her. Garrett only likes for me to cuddle him if he is hungry or if he wants to move around. He's not crawling yet, so I am one of his only means of transportation haha.

Garrett eats everything so far. He is not really that picky. This is surprising, because Todd and I are both very picky eaters. And guess what? Izzie is, too!! I wish she wasn't, but the child only eats a few select things like mac n' cheese, pizza, chicken, grilled cheese, and her favorite "gummies" (fruit snacks). I wish she would eat something else. I try to feed her different stuff. I won't even offer her the "good stuff" and she still won't touch anything. Garrett, on the other hand, just started baby food. He loves everything! He will eat bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, sweet peas, green beans. Everything we have tried, he has eaten.

Garrett wants to go all the time! He loves his walker. He is so far ahead of where Izzie was, well kind of sorta. It's not like Izzie was slow. She walked at 9.5 months. Garrett has been sitting up unassisted since about 5 months old. He is trying so hard to crawl, but hasn't quite gotten that leg and arm action down. He rolled over at like 2 months old. I don't think Izzie did until she was like 6 months. He also doesn't like sitting still. We have to move him around from the walker, bouncer, floor, and play mat constantly. He will play for about 15 minutes and then want to go on to the next thing.

Garrett is goes to sleep early, but hardly ever naps. He takes quick little twenty minute cat naps here and there. I have to remind him that he is a baby and needs to nap! Izzie would nap for two or three hours during the day. She still does sometimes. Garrett is pretty good at night though. He goes down around 7:30-8 in his own crib. He wakes up sometimes, but is quick to go back down. Izzie is still in our bed. we are going to be working on that soon.

Anyways, I just wanted to jot those things down. I know there are more that I have thought of, but those are the highlights. Of course, they are still similar. They are sister and brother. It's just crazy how they are their own little people.

Our First Time at the Circus

We went to the circus for their opening show. It was great. Izzie sat through the whole two hours. It helped we had front row tickets. They were a Christmas present. Izzie got to see the whole thing. It was great that no one was sitting in front of us. She could even stand up and hold onto the little rail and watch. She loved the elephants as expected. Garrett got to hang out with his Nina while the three of us had fun. Poor Nina. Garrrett cut his first tooth that night and was extra grumpy.

The Elephant Walk

This past week, on Wednesday, we decided to go to the Circus' Elephant Walk. I went to the dentist that morning, so was a little tired and sore, but I'm glad we went. My sister, Brooke or as Izzie calls her Aunt B, came along. We got a little excersize walking. Izzie fell asleep but woke up just in time to see the elephants. After we saw them, she insisted we go see the elephants "now." It was hard to explain to her that we had to wait for the next day before we could see them again. We had front row tickets to see the circus the next night. It was a blast.

6 Months Old!

6 Months Old!! Garret Jaco Kirkland. My little, big man. He is 28.75" long and 24.5lbs. 99th percentile for everything. I actually think Dr. Guyton said 99.9% There's not many bigger than him. I love my chunk. Don't you? Chunky babies are so squishy with so many rolls. His little wrists, well he really doesn't have any. They look like little rubber bands have been wrapped around his chubby arms. Just another thing I love about him.

He's in 18-24month clothing. Size 5 shoes. We do have to roll his pants up a little

His sister still affectionately calls him "baby brother." She gives him lots of love, hugs, and kisses. I get a little jealous of the amount she gives him.

Garrett can also sit up all by himself. He rolls both ways. He hates sitting still. His favorite thing is to jump in the Johnny Jumper like a crazy man. He literally swings in it! Our door frame is now a little morphed. It is hard to shut the door. Garrett also like to scoot around in his walker. He moves with purpose and knows where he is going, so move out of his way!

We started him on baby food. He is a much better eater than his sister. Here's to hoping that he stays that way, because she doesn't eat anything. So far we have tried sweet potato, squash, bananas, pears, and sweet peas. He eats them all. He even grabs my hand with the spoon in it forcing it to his mouth. He is so strong.

Of course, as you can see in the pictures above, Garrett is a boob man. ;) We are still breastfeeding.