Diaper Buddies

box boys

We got the kids a basketball hoop and set it up in the backyard. This is how the little boys have been spending their days since.

This boy right here

Is he ready to be a big brother?

Cody is 2.5 years old, but he seems a lot younger than the other kids were when a new baby came into the house. He has been making a lot of progress with his communication. He is especially good and understanding everything we tell him. Now we just need to understand what he's telling us.

We moved Cody out of the baby room and into the toddler bed in Levi's room a couple weeks ago. It hasn't been easy. Those two boys just really feed off each other, making sleep impossible. Most nights Levi ends up in a sleeping bag on the floor of the nursery. Hmm.....they're going to need to figure it out quickly. 

So, we're scheduled to be induced on Tuesday March 18th. Its a couple days after our due date but I'll be grateful for the extra time to get everything ready. We'll see how things play out, I guess. 

I am excited to see how Cody responds to a new baby. He has enjoyed carrying around a baby doll recently and takes good care of it. I always get stressed out thinking about how bad things could go, but really I think Cody will do great, and he'll be up for the task of growing up quickly.

When everything is quiet, I should know better

Sometime after 4:00pm
The kids were all playing nicely in their bedrooms. I had originally tried to convince them to go out in the backyard and enjoy the nice fall weather, but I wasn't going to interrupt their bonding time. I thought about washing dishes and spent some time staring into the pantry to figure out what to make for dinner.

Around 4:30pm
I was thinking things were awfully quiet and wondered what kind of trouble the kids were getting in to, but decided to just enjoy the peace instead.

About 4:40pm
Ashby came into the kitchen looking for something and I asked him what they were up to. He said he was reading in his room. I asked what Cody was doing. He said he didn't know because Cody wasn't with him. Hmmmm...I looked in the bedrooms...no Cody and no Levi.
The backdoor was still locked, so nobody was playing out there. The front door was unlocked, and I knew I had locked it.
I ran outside and looked up and down the sidewalks. Nothing. I ran around the back of the house and looked in the shared grassy area. Nothing.
I ran back inside and told Ashby and Paige to get their shoes, jackets, and scooters quickly because we had to form a search party to find Cody and Levi. I jumped on my bike (since I don't have a car) and we split up. Paige and Ashby were sent to knock on neighbors' doors that Levi may have ventured to, and I went riding around the neighborhood.

Around 4:50pm
I wished that I had thought to pull the big kids aside and take a moment to pray together before we frantically left the house. I tried to say a silent prayer while I sped around the block behind my house.
I wanted to call out their names, "Levi! Cody!" but every time I tried, I just started crying. I didn't know how long they had been missing already. It'd been at least a half hour since the house was quiet. I wasn't really worried about them being kidnapped, but Cody is only 2 and Levi is only 4 and walking for that long could get them very lost. But I also was pretty sure they wouldn't have crossed any big roads, so I focused my search just around the square block.
I saw a mom (Emily) I know only a little at the small playground. She waved and I pulled up closer, trying (unsuccessfully) not to cry. She asked if everything was okay and I said I couldn't find my boys. She grabbed her kids and said they would go look at the big park and I continued my loop around the block.

Sometime after 5:00pm 
Arriving back at home I saw my friend (Amy) walking down our driveway and I hoped for the best. But she didn't have them. Panic! She got in her car to broaden the search and I continued on my bike.
I was sweating and crying and my quads were burning (I didn't know I could ride my bike so fast - but it turns out its much easier when you're not hauling any kids).
I made another loop around the block focusing on areas behind homes and the back way to the park. Ran into Emily again, but she hadn't found them. I stopped by another friend's home (Jennifer) and asked. She gave me a cell phone so I could call if I found them and they got on their jackets to join the search.
I stopped by my house again and saw Ashby on the corner. He said that Amy found them and were in her car somewhere. Really?! I hustled back to Jennifer's to return the phone and tell her the news. I still hadn't seen my boys yet, but I felt fairly confident Ashby knew what he was talking about.
I went back home and Ashby said, "Bad news." My heart sank. "She has Cody and Levi but now they're trying to find you." Oh! That's okay! So I sat on the curb waiting for their return.

5:15ish
Amy's black minivan pulls up with my two little boys inside! No jackets, no shoes, just a sippy cup and a ball.
I don't really know the timeline of their adventures or where all they went, but they were found headed toward the school. 
Later I heard a phone message from a mom on another street informing me that Cody and Levi were outside her house saying they were lost. (One more reason I need a cell phone!) And another mom seeing if she should call the police.

I'm so grateful for all the people that were totally willing to drop whatever they were doing and help out a frantic mom. I'm grateful for Ashby who said his own prayer for help. I'm grateful for Paige who got everyone worried for me. I'm grateful that Cody and Levi were protected and watched over by their much more attentive parent, their Heavenly Father.

And now, I'm going to start using our front door security latch.

Shopping with only one kid

Paige and Ashby were at school and Levi was at his first day of preschool. It was just me and Cody!
Wow, ONE kid!
There was lots of stuff that needed to be done and I mustered up all my pregnant energy to actually be productive.
We took Brian to work so I could have to car to go grocery shopping.
Shopping with only one kid?! Piece of cake!
I was so excited!
We made it through the first couple of aisles pretty well...
Then I had to bust out the snacks and juice.
Then I tried to get Cody to draw and color.
...Its okay, I can do this...
When we got to the cereal aisle Cody was going crazy and I thought of a book we read at home, Llama Llama Mad at Mama. So, I tried to be really patient and let Cody out of the cart to help me shop.
By the next aisle he had run off to the middle of the store.
Now my cart was very full and very heavy. And Cody absolutely refused to sit in his seat. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I held him in my arms and tried to steer the heavy cart with only one hand.
We were almost done...just get some produce.
He's on the floor screaming.
Drag him to the check out.
Luckily the line isn't too long, but everyone in the store is staring at me.
I set Cody down and he flops on the floor to continue to scream.
A couple of people try to help, but there's nothing they can do. 
I'm dripping in sweat - and I had actually tried to look nice!
Everything is scanned and bought.
I grab Cody from off the floor and am so glad to get out of the store.
Then we fight to get buckled in the carseat.
Drive home and flop on the couch with the fan on high.
Shopping with only one kid?! Not such a piece of cake.
Now I'm scared to death to ever take Cody shopping again.

Cody turned 2

1 year old

And he blew out the candles like an old pro.

2 years old

Pasta Face

For a few weeks I could not get Cody to eat anything. He would just shake his head at anything I would try to feed him or lay on his high chair tray. He was very polite about it, and it was pretty cute, but really he wouldn't eat anything!

Luckily we figured out the problem...

Cody has decided to become independent! He won't eat anything unless he has his own spoon and his own plate. Crackers or cheerios have to be in a bowl. Even finger foods require a utensil.

Mealtimes are a much messier process, but at least he is eating again.

Codyisms

Today I walked into the kitchen and found that Cody had made himself quite at home in an unexpected little nook...

The kids and I spent some time this afternoon teaching Cody what to do with a ball and a basket. He picked up on it immediately and it held his attention for a very long time. :)

Each time he made a basket we would cheer and clap.

One time he made a basket and clapped for himself! 

The room erupted in praise and delight from all of the kids and myself. This is only the second time ever that he has clapped - he is 16 months old, so this was a big deal. Well, maybe we shouldn't have made it such a big deal because he refuses clap again. 

Freckle Juice

Here's what Paige has to say about her latest creation...

I got the idea for Cody's blue freckles from Judy Blume's "Freckle Juice". It was kind of a funny book. So I got kind of really wanting to have a brother with freckles. I have freckles so I was really wanting to see what a brother with freckles looks like. So I put blue freckles on my baby brother Cody with a blue marker that you can draw on stuffed doodle animals. I thought it could wash off anyway, because it said it could wash off the other toys. But you cannot put Cody in the washing machine. That would be silly and hurt him! I kind of liked the way Cody looked with blue freckles, instead of brown. And then mommy came to get Cody and she looked at him and then she said, "Why does Cody have blue freckles on him?" And I said, "Ummm...I did that." And then she went to wash it off while I was drawing a picture (it looks realistic) and then she called me and said, "Paige! Its not coming off! Why did you do that?!" 
And now you know the story...

Poor Cody!

Cody's first hair cut

With sucker in his hand and the use of scissors instead of clippers, it went pretty well.
No more little curls in back though, and no more super whispy stuff flying around on top. 
Our little baby is growing up. :)

All about Cody

Cody is one year old.
He has blue eyes and blonde hair.
He loves to hold your hands and walk, or push something to walk, but he can't really walk yet.
He loves to walk along the furniture, or just hold on to it and bounce and bounce and bounce.
He has a red birth mark on the top of his left hair line. He also has an interestingly shaped right ear, and the right half of his top lip is shaped different. People always think he has a fat lip, because that is really what it looks like, but its been there since he was born. He still has a beautiful smile and a great laugh, though.
Cody moves around on the floor by doing the worm dance/belly flop. It gets him where he wants to go, but with a heavy "hummmph" from him with every flop.
Cody loves to feed himself Cheerios and pretzels. He's getting less interested in letting his parents spoon feed him.
Cody is a good sleeper - around 10-12 hrs at night and two naps in the day. When he wants to sleep he lets you know and you had better leave him alone.
He is getting more opinionated which leads to more and more pterodactyl screams.
Cody loves to play with his brothers and sister. Paige loves to carry him around everywhere or help him walk places. When she's not home, Ashby is quick to fill in.
He loves to just stand in front of the toy drawer, reach in, and pull everything out one by one.
Cody loves to be outside. If I'm holding him while walking through the house he gets super mad when I pass by the backyard door without going out it. He doesn't like sitting in the grass or scooting in it, but he will happily sit on a blanket, stroller or most especially, the swing.
We are interested to see how Cody's little personality will grow this next year. He is a cutie and we're lucky to have him.
Happy Birthday Cody!

Cody turned ONE

Simple and cute and tasty monkey cupcakes.

Cody is always happier when he is outside, but put him in a swing and he gets ecstatic!

Cody had never had cake before. He was pretty apprehensive about what to do for a while.

Eventually he figured out the fist method. But I'm not sure how much cake actually made it into his mouth.

No that's not snot.

I love his eyes in this picture.

He figured out unwrapping a present surprisingly quick. He thought it was so funny.

Yay! A new push toy. He loooooves trying to push things around. Wish he were a little more stable at it.

A picture of Cody with his Blue Moon in the background.

Cody is 9 month old

This is Cody.

He is 9 months old.
He loves to stand on your lap and bounce.
He loves baby food - any flavor. Except that texture baby food makes him gag and subsequently throw up.
He is our chunkiest baby = 20.1 lbs. But that only puts him in the 50th percentile (man, there must be some really fat babies out there!).
He loves watching his older siblings make him laugh.
He loves drinking apple juice.
He laughs when you play peek-a-boo.
He loves to shift his weight back and forth when standing.




Cody hates to be on his tummy. He just does Superman and screams.




At his 9 mo check up the doctor asked:

Does he crawl?  No
Does he pull himself up to stand?  No
Does he army crawl? No
Does he clap? No
Does he wave? No
Doe he say the ma-ma, da-da sounds?  No
Does he use a sippy cup?  No
Does he roll over? No

But, this is our cute little, content baby boy.

(Although, he has started to get frustrated lately if he can't reach something, but he soon gives up.)

I think he'll start to figure out the getting around thing as soon as he gets some motivation.

Stay tuned...

6 months old

What a cutie, right?!

And look how much easier my life just got...

Surprise!

Look who showed up at our door this evening!

We got a surprise visit from Aunt Olivia (all the way from San Francisco.)
Turns out she was in town for a girls weekend away with old friends and happened to be staying just a couple of miles from us.
What a surprise!
So glad you stopped by Olivia. And happy you got to meet Cody!

5 months old

Cody is 5 months old now!
He is a very content and pretty easy baby.
But he definitely lets you know if he needs something.
Cody hasn't started rolling or moving around yet.
but you certainly won't see me complaining.
See his two teeth? He got those a few weeks ago
and he likes experimenting with them
(if you know what I mean).
Cody loves taking baths and sucking on his hands.
He is cuddly, but likes to go to sleep without being held.
Hopefully soon he'll be able to hold his own bottle
and my life will get that much easier.
Cody is a delightful little baby!

2 months old

Cody is interacting more and more each day.
And he is sleeping longer and longer at night. (In fact last night was 9.5 hours!)
We're figuring each other out and that is a nice feeling.

Rumor is Cody is ours

I wasn't sure at first.
When the nurse handed me this new baby, I thought for sure he must belong to someone else. Our kids all have long, dark eyelashes. But this baby didn't have any.
After 8 weeks I am proud to announce that Cody is ours! - and he has eyelashes touching his brows to prove it.

Blessing Cody

Last Sunday we blessed Cody in sacrament meeting. Kevin (Brian's brother) was planning a trip up from California to go mountain biking in Utah county, and he hadn't ever participated in one of our babies' blessings before so we took that opportunity. Which also meant that Brian's mom and dad were able to hitch a ride with Kevin and be here for the event also.

Brian was sick that weekend with a very sore throat. He was so horse that the deacon holding the microphone had to make sure it was right up against Brian's lips. Brian gave a very nice blessing, and Cody didn't even cry until the very end.

Although we had plenty of family at the blessing to support us, it was hard for me to not have anyone from my side of the family there. I was missing everyone - especially Tasha who had just moved a couple weeks before. But, of course, it was still a very special day.