John Ross Breaks a Record

I was just informed that John Ross broke his own pancake-eating record this morning. He is a huge fan of the mini Eggo pancakes - in fact "pancake" was one of his first two syllable words he said. He must have been hungry, because he ate 11 this morning. Kyle said he just kept asking for more. That's the big newsflash from the Malter household!

Giggles

Check out this video of Judd giggling. The best part is John Ross trying to appease Kyle with a Judd-like response at the end.

Chunky Monkey, Judd, Has Two Teeth!

I'm not sure what it is about the second child, but they seem to grow too fast! Judd is not letting his Mommy enjoy the baby stage for long. On Thursday, during a wellness checkup, I found out he weighed 21 lbs. I noticed he was getting heavy, so that explains why! Only one pound to go before he's out of his bucket seat. It's a good thing he's starting to sit on his own since we'll be changing his carseats in the coming weeks. No more convenience of placing his bucket seat into a shopping cart. I had my system that's been working so well with the two boys. I'm going to have to come up with a new plan - if only Target had two seats in a cart...

Judd's second tooth popped up on Friday! He'd been one fussy boy (hence the dr. appt on Thursday) and once he cut that second tooth, he was back to his happy self.

Another big milestone happened this morning. Judd held his bottle for his whole feeding all by himself. That was a little sad - he's becoming more independent. He tried sweet potatoes for the first time last week. He seems to like them, but overall he's just not enthusiastic towards his cereal and veggies like he his for his bottles. I know I shouldn't worry though - at 21 lbs. he clearly is eating plenty!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Here's a photo of my little leprechauns (aka Mom's Lucky Charms). This was taken right before we left the house this morning. I tried to take the sippy cup out of the frame, but John Ross wasn't having any of that. He's a little grumpy if he doesn't get his milk in the morning. I figure it will be the same with his coffee cup in 30 years! Of course, Judd was all sweetheart.

My goal is to have a really nice photo of the two of them in the same picture by the time Judd turns one. I have 7 months to go... Lord knows I've been trying for the past 5 months!

Stop and Smell the Fire Hydrant

Yesterday afternoon we decided to take full advantage of some warm weather (since it's a rarity up here in Iowa) and take a stroll around the neighborhood. All six of us were ready for the walk, except for John Ross who wanted to go his own direction as usual. To distract him, we asked him if he wanted to help Daddy walk the dogs. Kyle gave him Daisy's leash (who is the best and most tolerant dog in the world). Boy, did John Ross think he was big stuff walking the dog just like Daddy! He would look up at Kyle grinning ear to ear. So off we went - Kyle with Annie, John Ross with Daisy and I brought up the rear with Judd in his stroller. (And yes, we do look like our own little parade when we take a walk.) I had the best seat in the house for what I was about to see. Daisy, like most dogs, likes to sniff her surroundings. Naturally Daisy would sniff a fire hydrant, which I didn't think anything of until John Ross followed her lead and and leaned in to sniff it, too. At one point, we had to stop and wait, because John Ross was on all fours sniffing the grass with Daisy. I truly am amazed with the way a two-year-old mind works. It seemed perfectly normal for him to want to see what he was missing out on since Daisy was so intrigued. As a mom, I am finding that these simple little moments are absolutely endearing and priceless.

So, next time you pass by a fire hydrant, seize the moment like a two-year-old. You never know what you might be missing!

Judd Has a Tooth!

Judd cut his first tooth yesterday morning! It's on his bottom and we have a hunch it's neighbor will pop up soon. He is constantly chewing and Motrin is making a noticeable difference with him. I'm convinced something is still going on. Stay tuned...

Judd will be 5 months on Saturday, so he's not wasting any time!

JINX!

I was worried about jinxing John Ross' seizure-free streak and sure enough he had one today. In the last posting I mentioned how long he has gone without a seizure. That was the first and last time I'll mention his seizures in this blog.

He's doing just fine and I'm still thankful it's been 4 months (today in fact) since he's had one. That's a record for him.