Santa

Last year Sophie was deathly afraid of Santa, so i though this year she would be a year older and enjoy Santa...boy was I wrong! So the only pictures we got with Santa this year were pretty sad, but here goes! With my luck, Sophie will be okay with Santa next year, but Brody will then be afraid of him.

Obviously it still didn't help with me being in the picture!

We tried to get Sophie to take a picture with Brody by the tree, no Santa...and as you can see, she was still upset from the Santa picture before. She couldn't even stop crying to take a good picture with a TREE! She was practically pushing Brody away too....ah, sibling love!

First manicure

It is hard to tell in the picture, but Sophie has her nails painted. With all the snow and rain I decided that we needed something new to do if we had to stay indoors for a few days. So, I bought a light pink...in case she wiggled and it went all over her fingers! But she actually stayed very still and I dried them with a blow dryer. I can't wait to give Sophie another manicure, it was a lot of fun!

Big Boy Now!

Brody has his first session with his occupational therapist yesterday. She was out at our house to see Brody about 3 weeks ago, and he was having a lot of problems. But when she came today to work on his rolling and sitting, she was very surprised at what he learned to do in the last 3 weeks! Brody had a lot of fun with her, which made her happy because she said that normally kids cry through the whole session. Brody can now sit, but we have to keep a pillow behind him because he'll just fall backwards because he doesn't pay attention. He also stands with someone holding him a bit, which is a BIG improvement because before he wouldn't put any weight on his legs. After the 45 minute session Brody went right now for a nap because he was exhausted! We look forward to his next session in 2 weeks!

Snow Day

So we did have lots of plans Friday until the snow came.....it was pretty and all, but I didn't want to be driving in it. We decided to stay home and keep cozy instead. Even that was a great idea until Sophie noticed it was snowing and wanted to go outside, so we all bundled up and went out to play. Of course not 5 minutes later she wanted to come back in! So we spent the day going out to play in the snow, in spurts. I figured we should enjoy it while it lasts!

It didn't take her long to figure out that it tasted like ice when she ate it....so I think she consumed quite a bit of snow today!
Our backdoor window was accumulating quite a bit of snow.

Poor Brody, we dragged him outside with us even though he could probably care less! He looked so cute all bundled up though!

Thanksgiving

We had a busy but fun Thanksgiving this year! We all went to my aunt's house for dinner, and they had their pool heated so all the kids got to swim....so of course Sophie had a great time! We ate a lot of good food, played games afterwards and got to see my wonderful cousin and her fiancee (which we don't get to see fotne enough!) Then the next morning, Friday, we left for Louisianna for the weekend with my parents and my sister's family. It was hectic, but the kids had endless fun playing outside together and I just had fun spending time doing nothing with my family.
Gotta love a heated pool!

Not sure who got such a great laugh out of him, but thanks!
The kids made a tent outside and played in it for a while!

We had to stop halfway there to eat lunch, so picked up stuff at a drive thru and thought we might eat outside at a rest stop at some benches. Little did we know that there weren't many rest stops once you got into LA., so yes....as the kids started to cry we just stopped wherever we could find and it was an RV Park. That's when I really realized that I'm not a camper, although I was already pretty sure of that! Also, funny thing we noticed was that outside of the RV's some people had NICE cars, we saw an Infiniti and a Lexus.

Bath Time

Lately, Brody has started really getting a kick out of his big sister, he laughs at her ALL the time! So, now in the bathtub, they have a lot of fun. Here are pictures from the other day when Sophie was feeding Brody pretend cereal, and he thought it was great, of course he opened his mouth every time she put the spoon near him even though there was nothing on it! I think she fed him for about 15 minutes, she was so proud.

Painting

Our computer has been down with about a million viruses, so I feel like it's been a while since I've done a post! We have kind of just been hanging out having a lot of family time this month, and I've told myself that I am going to let Sophie do things I wouldn't normally let her do! Because, let's face it, I don't really want her to become a little Lindsay, and grow up to be very OCD! So, I went out and decided I was going to let her paint, she has a lot of fun doing it, and it's the only activity that she will do for atleast 30 minutes....which is about 10 times longer than coloring lasts with her. Here are some pictures....a little more Pollack than Van Gogh! Haha



She was very excited to paint her hand

Her finished masterpiece

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. I think Sophie got a bit overwhelmed with all the running around we did, but when the time came to trick or treat, she loved running up to the doors and getting some candy. I will say though, unfortunately Nick and I have eaten most of her candy! She's not much of a sweets girl, I use to make her GF cookies and brownies...but I ended up eating most of them so that they wouldn't go bad. I did save her smarties for whenever she decides she wants to potty train, we will use them for incentive/bribery...whatever. So here are the kids in their Halloween costumes. No idea why Brody's picture came out so small, he was Spiderman though....very brave! Of course Sophie was her girly self, all dressed up as a butterfly.

Almost the Big Brother

Wow, I'm not sure how much Brody weighs right now because we haven't been to the Dr. in a month or so, but we're going Monday. Anyways, Sophie has been thinking lately that she can pick up....or rather, TRY to pick up Brody and move him. So, I told her that he's too heavy, and she disagrees. The other day she wanted him to sit with her and watch Sesame Street, so I put him on her lap and they watched t.v. for about 10 minutes until she decided that he was too heavy! Her words were, "Too heaby mommy, off lap." I hope she gets it now that he really is almost her BIG brother, and that he's too heavy for her to haul around.

New Things....

We got Sophie these new boots since it's actually getting cold now. And of course does she not only want to wear them with everything...she never wants to take them off! She's such a shoe fan....I have NO idea where she got that from. In this picture she was wearing shorts with a tutu over them, of course, and then her boots. I am worried once she starts picking out her own clothes!

I also ordered Sophie some playdough since they have been playing with it at church the past few Sundays. Now, I had to order it because playdough has gluten in it...good thing I did my research when Sophie first got diagnosed with Celiac Disease! So, when she plays with it at church she can't put her fingers in her mouth or anything, and she has to wash her handswith soap after playing with it, so because of all that I have never let her play with it at home. But I found a website that actually makes all GF play dough, it's called AromaDough. So, now she can enjoy playing with playdough at home, and we do it often!

Growing up.....too fast might I add!

Well, after about 2 weeks of Sophie fussing and screaming at nap time....AND waking Brody up, which is a huge no-no since he doesn't sleep much during the day anyways, Nick and I decided that maybe if we turned Sophie's bed into a "big girl" bed she might act better. All I ask is that she's quiet and doesn't wake Brody up during their naptime! Honestly, as long as I can be productive during my maybe 2 hours that I have all day, I don't care of she wanders around her room and plays with everything! As long as she's quiet, I figured that wasn't too much to ask. But the past 2 weeks have been unbearable, she seems to hate her bed. Everytime I go into her room she says "out of bed." So, tonight we took the plunge, which made both Nick and I very sad, we made her baby crib into a big girl bed. It only reminded us that she's growing up, and we don't like it ONE bit! So far she seems to love her bed, although I spent the first night worrying that she'd fall out. Now we will see how naptime goes from here on out.

I hate it when I get BIG reminders that our little 4 pound 12 ounce baby is growing up. Lately it's been taking away her pacifier, hearing her favorite phrase "Sophie do it," and now her big girl bed. I am already dreading future things, Mother's Day Out and Kindergarden. They truly do grow up too fast. For anyone in my family....does that not look like the same exact face I made in soo many pictures when I was little?

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

With the rain and all lately, the past week that we've had to stay inside quite a bit has made things pretty rough. Sophie tends to get bored inside and decides to disobey me every chance she gets, just to make things exciting I guess. After a few frustrating days with us being cooped up in the house, we get out today, and in the car I hear Sophie saying "Hey, you listen to me." Gotta love it....I guess she's heard me say that a lot to her. She also always tells her babies that they need to "obey mommy."

Less is More

The other day I took Sophie to "refresher" swim class bfore we have to stop swimming for the "winter." So, after the class I just took off her swim suit and slapped on a diaper....that's what happens when you have two kids! When we got home, the first thing she wanted to do was put on her tutu...of course, then play outside. So, the neighbors got a kick out of her, I told then that she's going with the "less is more" approach! Don't even ask about the fly swatter, it's her new favorite toy, which she calls the "py svatter", and it isn't even used as that, I used it in my 2nd grade classroom for a reading staton. Never the less, she love it and uses it to kill spiders, she says. I think she's seen mommy do that!

Look alike?

Ever since Brody was born I haven't really thought that he and Sophie really looked alike. So I decided to find a recent picture of Brody, then find one of Sophie at 5 months, and see for myself. Oddly enough, she was a preemie and we were always worried about her weight, then Brody....well the way he eats we've never worried about him! But in this picture Sophie looks like a chub compared to our little Brody, funny how we forget. But now I do think they look quite a bit like siblings.

Big Boy!!

Brody is turning into such a big boy these days! He now sits in his jumpy chair, yet has NO idea what to do next. He has also started holding his own bottle, which is more out of the fact that he doesn't like us to grab it out of his mouth to burp him.....so he holds on VERY tight to is own bottle.

Girly Girl

I have always had a hunch that Sophie was a bit of a girly girl. Maybe it was the fact that she always asks for a "wipey" to wipe her hands, or maybe even the fact that she reminds me if I sit her down for a meal and there's no wipey on the table before she starts eating! Lord, I am pretty sure that with me as a mom and Nick as her dad, that she was doomed from the start. But these pictures definitely seal the deal that she's 100% girly girl....this is what she does ALL day long.

Dress up.....

More dress up......

And even MORE dress up!

Changes

Some changes have been happening over the past week. We have cut Sohpie's paci, and she tells us everyday that it's "broken". So, before his big event she was only napping, maybe once a week, and since this has happened she hasn't napped period! But she does go to bed fine at night, so I keep telling myself that it'll be okay, and she WILL get over it. She doesn't seem to like her bed now that her "broken" paci is in it, so when we put her down at nap time or at bedtime there is A LOT of crying....which is heartbreaking since she's never cried when we put her down for bed, since birth! And of course once se starts crying, Brody is soon to follow...figures. It's also a bit funny, because as she's crying in her bed, she says she wants "out". So, we go in there to calm her down, and she asks to get "out." Then, if one of us says she can't get out, then she screams for the other parent...funny how quickly they learn to be manipulative. Also, when she's not screaming to get "out" she's screaming for Brody. It's as if she already knows he will be her ally soon to come. So, for now we wait it out and hope that she gets over her beloved paci.

She has also started touching and playing with things she knows she isn't supposed to. And when we tell her no, she goes to get her blanket, that has a bunny attached, and uses the bunny's hands to touch whatever she's not supposed to be touching. I have a feeling she will be a delightful teenager!

As for Brody, not much is new with him, except for the fact that he never got the memo about sleeping. He's now 4 months old, we put him down at 8pm, and he wakes up at anytime really...there's no pattern, rhyme or reason. It could be 7am, or it's more likely to be 4 or 5. On a bad night, he wakes up at 1,3,5, and 7. Never wanting to eat, just wanting to snuggle with someone and babble. Then during the day, he never takes a nap. He can't stand being away from everyone. I tried the crying it out method, but he's pretty persistent and will cry for however long you leave him. So, any tips on getting a baby to sleep, are much needed! I will say that when he's in the room with everyone else, he's a happy smiley baby. He loves his hands and plays a bit more now with toys. Sophie is more into sharing all her toys with Brody, for now. This is what I found yesterday when Sophie was playing with her ice cream scoops, which she calls cupcakes.

Making Brody into an ice cream sundae!

This Week

This week is a big week for us! Well, it might not really be, but I feel like this week is big! This Thursday, Brody will be 4 months. He just learned to roll over...which he hates, because then he ends up on his tummy and can't roll back. He has also started sitting in Sophie's old high chair because he constantly wants to look around and be where everyone else is, which is the kitchen usually. Also, on Friday Sophie will be 2 years old.....where did the last year go? I swear it feels like we just had her 1st B-day party, where she started walking! So, I am planning on decorating the house for the B-day girl on Friday, and taking her to get a smoothie at this place by our house. It's her new favorite thing, since I introduced her to it. A "moothie" is what she calls it. Unfortunately both the kiddos have their Dr. appt. Friday morning, and they each have to get a shot. So I will have to make it up to her with a "moothie." Then on Saturday we are having her friends party at Westwood Gymnastics, and on Sunday we are doing a brunch with family for her and Nick's B-days together. Needless to say, we have a busy week, but not too busy to stop and realize that Sophie's grown into such a big girl with a sweet and big personality for such a little body. I can't wait to see more of what Brody's personality will be like.
Such a bum

Sitting in his favorite lounge chair, even content to not be eating! Sophie never went for that!

Rolling over, only to suck on his fingers

Old familiar place

Well yesterday around 2pm Brody's pediatrician sent us to the old familiar, Texas Children's Hospital because Brody was dehydrated from not eating and vomiting since Sunday night. So, of course we spent a long time there, I mean a LONG time! We got there at 3:30 and left around 12:30. Texas Children's will never be accused of rushing through things. While we were there Brody got IV fluids, a couple bottles of Pedialyte, blood work done, and an ultrasound! All turned out fine, and they said we could leave but needed to follow up with his pediatrician if his vomiting kept persisting, since he quickly becomes dehydrated and then will be back at the hospital again. So, needless to say this is all very frustrating, because since all the test came back fine they are attributing all of this to his reflux, even though he has had reflux since birth but has never even spit up. I'm not sure what changed on Sunday night, but I guess we will be changing his meds and seeing if all of this mess stops!

Randomness

Since my dad (Sophie calls him Pops) has gotten a new motorcycle, Sophie has become very fascinated with motorcycles.....everywhere she goes! She calls them "cycles", and even calls my mountain bike a "cycle"!

I am getting better at taking pictures with both of the kids in it, which is quite a task since Sophie won't sit still....especially when it's with her brother!

She thought Brody was trying to tickle her! Funny!

Lastly, since Brody has acid reflux he now sleeps in this crazy yet wonderful contraption called the Tucker Sling. I knew when I got this from a friend that I had to get a picture of him sleeping in it! It helps him sleep a million times better than he ever has, it's just funny to put him in. I guess once he can unvelcro himself out of the sling, then he will sleep flat in his crib! Until then, he's stuck on this wedge.

These Days

Things have finally settled down a bit and I find myself having actual time to enjoy both my kids! I thought the craziness would never end! So, these days I have noticed that Brody has started babbling incessantly in the mornings and he even lets out a laugh every once in a while. It melts my heart when he's crying (which he still does often) and I go in his bed to get him, and the first thing he does it grin from ear to ear at me.....how can you be mad at that? Then Sophie has decided that Peek A Boo is her favorite game, although her version is "Peeg A Goo". Still very cute though, and she's practically an echo all the time.....anything I say she says it right after me. Cute and bad at the same time, Nick said "Oh crap" yesterday, and there Sophie goes and repeats it! Obviously not knowing what she's saying, but we both looked at each other at the same time, thinking we now need to watch EVERYTHING we say! I say things have settled down, but obviously not enough for us to get any pictures of Brody...sorry. I will start doing better!

Who says boys are easier??

I guess that title isn't totally correct....Brody has been a pretty easy baby the past few days. But before that, don't ask. He now smiles a lot at me, and is getting better with his floppy head. In the mornings I swear he has a whole conversation with himself, it's hilarious. After a few trips to see his pediatrician though we have pretty much concluded that he has silent acid reflux, which is all the same symptoms Sophie had, but without the projectile vomit...which is always better for our furniture. We will have a little more info. after Brody gets an upper GI on Friday afternoon, at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy. That is the non invasive procedure where he drinks the barium and they X-ray him to see if it comes back up. Painless procedure, but it's a sad reminder of how it all started with Sophie, about 20 months ago. I cringe when I think that we will be going through the same trial and error process with medicine, that we did with Sophie for such along time.

On a happier note though, Sophie had her appt. at Texas Children's and we have started weaning her off one of her two medications. So far so good! We also only have to go back once a year now, which is wonderful! I will not miss spending 3 hours in the waiting room at every visit!

Fun at the pool

So, Nick and I decided to take the kiddos to the pool Wednesday of this week to make use of Nick's underwater camera. Why we haven't used it until now....I have no idea, just crazy busy I guess. Nick's mom (Sophie's MiMi) went with us to see Sophie swim. Sophie had a blast, as usual, and didn't want much to do with the "baby pool", she likes the big pool and now asks for it by name. Here are some funny and cute pictures Nick got.



She wasn't interested in taking pictures.

What a cute tongue

Sophie and Mimi together swimming

I have no idea what she's looking at, not the camera obviously!

Brody news

These days have been crazy with two, yes things are STILL crazy I admit. Brody is almost 6 weeks old now and I am realizing more than I did with Sophie, that time really does fly. I swear I feel like I just had him a few days ago! He is filling out now, by the Sullivan standards atleast, since we obviously don't have chunky babies. His personality is definitely coming out, he wants to be held all the time, and stays awake most of the day. He is sleeping from 12-6 at night though, so I guess I should be somewhat thankful. He has the lungs of a toddler though, so letting him cry it out at night is another story! He's such a sweetie and we've found out that for a litte guy he's quite tough. The other day I was changing his diaper on the floor, because that's what you do with the second baby, and Sophie sat down too close to him and pretty much sat on his head! I guess it's good she loves him that much, to want to be so close to him. And he turned out okay, didn't even cry, what a trooper. Here are some recent pics of him. Somehow I got a rare, quick picture of them all!

Awww, his little skinny arms

His favorite toy, by favorite, I mean he'll lay there for 10 minutes then start to cry!

Sophie is such a little mommy to Brody.

Brody's usual activity, awake and chillin'