19 Months

Ethan is stretching. We finally made it to his doctor's appointment and he ended up with a height of 36 in (but I think it's more like 34 in...he has a bit of hair), and a weight of almost 28lbs. Dominic is at about 33lbs....haha. He ended up with 4 vaccines shots because I forgot he had a 15mo appointment (oops). He actually took the first two (on the same leg) pretty well. He just kinda made a face. THEN, the next two were up- and he got stiff- that's where he cried. But after a few seconds of mama hugs, he was fine. By the time we left the office, he was all right and walking. But then he took a nap and woke  up around 5pm...and he was limping. I couldn't figure out why....until I remember he clenched when the last two shots were given, so he was probably REALLY sore. You know when you get your flu shot and they tell you to relax? And you're like....riiiight. I asked the nurse why she said that and she told me it was because when the muscle is contracted when the shot is given it hurts ten times more than when it's relaxed....so there you go. She was right. Ethan was fine the next morning, but it really worried me to see him limp like that the rest of the day.

Reading time at the library

He has also been battling an eye infection. It's been on and off since the eye surgery. I just don't want him to keep getting antibiotics every time...he's so little. I usually clean his eye with chamomile tea and it clears it right up. But this time, I asked the pediatrician about it, and when she checked it, she said he had an ear infection! He has never had one, and he never even cried about it...so I'm not sure how long it's been there....she thinks it hasn't been more than a week...but bummer. Seriously, my kids cry about the silliest things, but never about real life emergencies. Had he not gone to the doctor, I would have never known. So he's on antibiotics (for the second time since the surgery) and hope to make it to the august 9th eye appointment.....we're so close! Then, they will remove the tube and he'll be home free. He loves taking medicine...probably because it tastes sweet.

Dr's appointment

The pediatrician mentioned that the reason he didn't look so fat and bootylicious was because he is so tall...so he looks like a snake with a bit of a belly. He still loves to eat, but its starting to get picky. He notices big brother saying "no' to certain foods and watches him sneak fruit snacks and chips, so naturally he goes after them too. The other day, he actually said "no" to chicken and pointed to the pantry (where the chips are)...when I said no, he cried. yeah, too bad. I decided to stop buying treats for the kids. It was a way to reward Dom to do things, but clearly he doesn't care. And he's terrible at eating...so I already told him I'm not buying any more. Charts and rewards do not work on Dominic...never have never will.

Shopping buddy

Ethan is a runner and he's so good at kicking the ball. His coordination is fantastic. He will kick it EVERY time. This is a soccer kid..as soon as he turns 3...he'll go to the soccer club. Dom can't even do that, and he's 4. He also LOVES eating with utensils...no hands. He loves to stay clean most of the time....he will always tell me he needs a fork...even if it's grapes or crackers. He loves his mickey straw cup and loves water more than anything. How did I get so lucky? none of my kids are into soda or juice. I mean, they will drink it, but they get tired of it pretty quick. Water is mostly what we drink around here...especially with 80 degrees outside.

watching big bro play

He sleeps a LOT better than big brother. We tried to make them sleep together again, but Ethan kept waking up. I'm not sure if it was because he was in the wrong room or if he was just hungry (did not eat well that night). So for now, they are back to their own room. Spencer says to just keep them separate, we have the room, why have the aggravation? I finally put the crib away, since nobody was using it. For now, Ethan is sleeping on the ground with some blankets, and naps are slept in Dom's bed. Either way, he does not care. He'll sleep anyways. Naps....are AMAZING...he'll take one big nap from around noon (after lunch) all the way to 3pm sometimes 4pm...so I think he's stretching. But i'm loving it. I get to do more of my stuff during the day, instead of leaving it until after everyone goes to bed. I can do the garden, I can catch up on surveys, I can clean and mop the floors..it's great.  We are getting ready to buy him a twin mattress, but I'm not sure where to put it, that's why he's sleeping on the floor. Do i put it in the toy room and just separate the toys and the kids? Let everyone have their own space? Or do i give it another shot and put the kids together and have a toy room? SO many questions.....

He loves to shop. He loves to look at merchandise and put it in the cart. We went clothing shopping recently, mainly because I heard there was a sale. And he was just taking hangers off and bringing them to me and saying "huh?". It was darling, Dom doesn't nor ever did that. I think Ethan likes to look good. He'll be my own personal doll...haha. He's definitely a metro man. He ALWAYS has to have shirts and shorts on....and nice ones too...none of those pajama shirts. He will go over to his dresser, open it, and then give me the shirt he wants to wear. He probably thinks that if he dresses, we will have to go somewhere. I never take my kids to the store in pajamas, so if we get dressed....it usually means we're going somewhere...lol.

Ethan is doing a bit better in nursery...he's only gone 2 times. He lets me leave for about half an hour before he remembers I'm gone....that's better. We'll see how it turns out here in the next few weeks.

nursery 

Dom loves having a little brother around, except when it comes to sharing. But he does like chasing him around and loves to make him laugh. He tells him to do stuff all the time and Ethan never listens, and then he gets frustrated...at least now he knows how I feel about him.  Both kids love the pool, Ethan can take in so much water and be totally fine. Best purchase we ever did was buy puddle jumpers....what a relief to go with the pool with those. I would recommended 100%, worth the money. Aldi had them the cheapest (around $11) at the beginning of summer, and I'm glad i got them then, cause they went fast. I can see why...such a peace of mind. Ethan figured out, if he falls in the water, the puddle jumper automatically lets him go belly up to not drown. And I don't mean leave your kid unattended just because it does that. But Ethan will fall, and just relax cause he'll turn belly up...what a smart kid. He's so smart....watching my kids grow up and be so different is like the greatest science project ever haha. It's amazing how much they absorb and how much they know in such a short amount of time.

nap time