Calling All Superheroes!

This past weekend we celebrated Connor and Cooper's birthdays. Connor picked superheroes - go figure! So, I put my thinking cap on and had so much fun planning it! I'll tell ya, planning a birthday party is a lot of work - but to see how much fun the kids are having makes every late night and missed nap (on my end) worth it. 

On the menu:
- homemade wings -- Bat Wings
- pigs in a blanket -- Robin Roll-ups
- cheeto balls -- Fire Balls
- goldfish (plain flavor) -- Aquaman Fish
- cheese cubes with pretzel sticks in them -- Thor Hammers
- cucumber slices -- Captain America Shields
- carrot sticks -- Hawkeye's Arrows
- strawberry and pineapple fruit skewers -- Ironman Power Food
- green grapes -- Green Lantern's Gem Stones
- green "ocean water" -- Hulk Punch
- water -- Invisible Water
- sweet tea -- Elastici"tea"

We also had some activities and games planned. When the kids first arrived, they were given a cape (yellow, red, or blue) and picked a mask. They colored their mask while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. After everyone arrived, we jumped right on in with our first activity. I drew some webs on poster boards and put villains on them. Each kid was given a can of silly string and they had to act like Spiderman and shoot the evil villains. It was a little difficult for some of the kids to spray, so parents had to help out a little bit with this one. But, it looked as if the kids were having a "blast!" ;) Then we went on and ate since it was around 11:30. Once everyone was finishing up we were on to the next thing. This one was Connor's favorite. I took six empty puff containers (thanks, Cooper!) and put more villain faces on them. We stacked them up and the kids took the Thor hammer and threw it at them to knock it down. This was funny to watch because some of the kids (*cough* Connor *cough*) kept missing and the hammer was going all sorts of ways. Most of the kids swung it like a bat which was not nearly as dangerous, but whatever they wanted to do. Good thing we did this outside! The next game was "Pin the star on the Captain America shield." I painted a Captain America shield on a poster board and printed each kid out a star with their name on it. We used Connor's Captain America mask and a lovey (thanks, Maddie!) to cover up their eyes. The kids tried to put the star in the middle of the blue circle. It was so fun to watch them. Most of the kids put the star in the blue circle -- they told me they couldn't see!! The last activity that I planned was a Hulk Smash. I saved up a bunch of boxes and my mom graciously spray painted them red and gray. We (well, Cameron, Sam, and Emma :) ) stacked up the boxes really tall and the kids put on Connor's hulk gloves and mask and knocked the boxes down. I really think the kids liked this one the best. It was so much fun to see them look like the Hulk and smash all those boxes down. The gloves even talk so that added to it. Oh, by the way, Cooper pretty much slept this entire time -- it's his party and he'll nap if he wants to?

Then we moved along to cake. I woke Cooper up for this, but it turns out he didn't care too much once I put that cake down in front of him. Connor was sweet enough to blow out Cooper's candle for him, and then Cooper got to smash his cake. I wasn't even sure I was going to have time to make him a smash cake, but I'm glad I did. Every one else had cupcakes! Then it was time for presents. The boys are so spoiled! Connor had to take everything out right then and there. Whatever we told him he couldn't open then, has already been opened and played with. He got a lo of superhero toys, books, and outside and quiet time activities. Cooper got a lot of clothes (yay for park clothes!) and toys. He has really enjoyed the toys, and I've really enjoyed the clothes!

We want to thank everyone who came to the party! We truly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to spend with us celebrating our two boys. Connor is still talking about how much fun he had with all of his friends!

I don't have many pictures from the party - because we were too busy partying! So, I've added what I have and some pictures of the activities that I took after I made them. Terrible mom, I know.

These are the spiderwebs and Captain America shield I made. We hammered the webs onto two trees outside and the kids went nuts with the silly string - the trees are so festive with their yellow, red, and blue silly string!

A picture of the banner I made for the boys. I love how it turned out!

Some pictures of the boys before the party - clearly Cooper has the "annoy my big brother" down :)

Mr. Personality

Finally a good one

Connor wanted one with Maddie too

Food table

My mom spray painted these boxes black and I put the windows on them with construction paper. It was pretty tedious, but it turned out "super" cute ;)

Drink table

Each kid got a cup with their name on it

Right when the kids began coloring their masks

One of the tables outside

I think they were having a little heart-to-heart here

Looking at his (terribly executed) Captain America shield cake

He said that we were "hurting his ears" when we sang to him -- gotta love a 4 year old

Satisfied with how well he blew the candles out

Not really sure what to do with this

But he's starting to get a little curious

And finally the first little taste

"Hmmm. That's pretty good"

"Can I have some more please?"

The telephone booth I made out of a box

The shield after the stars were put on. The kids did pretty good!!

The Thor Hammer throw game -- two of the villains faces were blasted off (job well done!!)

Cooper's 11 month post

Well, we are a little over a week away from his 1st birthday and I'm just now sitting down to write this (whoops!!). Cooper is 11 months old and we can't believe how fast this year has been. He is now over 23 pounds (yikes!!) which puts him in the 84th percentile - we all had the flu and this was his weight on the 10th.

Besides having the flu for a few days, he is as healthy as a horse. He loves to eat - especially snack (I mean, who are his parents again?!?). He doesn't really have a favorite food, he just really loves to eat. I've transitioned him to all milk just recently. I ran out of formula, and I was NOT buying anymore, so I mixed his milk with some of the breastmilk I had found in my freezer (seriously thought I had used it all). But now he is on all milk. He had a little trouble with it at first, but he's doing much better with it now.

He is still sleeping the 12 hours at night - with the occasional night of waking up searching for a paci or needing some water. Naps are going great - he still takes 2. The morning nap is around an hour and the afternoon nap is anywhere from 2-4 hours. His shorter nap tends to be on the weekend when dad's home. The kids are so excited that he's home that they get a little rowdy. But for the most part, sleep is still going well.

He has four teeth now (I can't remember if I've put that in previous months or not). His fourth tooth popped in right as we all got the flu - so around Connor's birthday. So he now has his two bottom teeth and now his two front teeth. He has the two on either side of his top teeth coming in- the left one especially. They've been giving him a little bit of a hard time but it's nothing some motrin can't handle.

He now has a few more words. The short list is: dada, uh-oh, hey, and "guh" for cup. I've heard a "mama" a time or two but never anything consistent. If you ask him to say "mama" he still just screams "ahhhhhh!!" He thinks it's quite comical -- I, however, don't find it as funny.

His absolute favorite thing to do is to pull to standing, let go, balance for a second or 30, and then fall down on his bottom. The kid finds it so hilarious. He laughs so much when he does it. He's taken a step a couple of times, but he's more interested in the falling down on his bottom part more than anything. Kid is nuts!!!

He also LOVES to play with/annoy his big brother and sister. It makes my heart swell so much to see them all interact with each other. Connor likes to make up what he's saying with his baby babble. Maddie just likes to hug and kiss him - sometimes a little too much. Every time she comes into the room that he's in I hear her say, "Hiiiiiiiii boyyyyyy!!" It's as if he hasn't been named yet- ha!

Cooper also crawls super fast. It's amazing how quick he is. I forgot how fast they can go. He loves to push a ball or truck or anything that rolls down the hall and crawl after it. It's almost as if he's playing fetch with himself? I don't know. Like I said earlier, kid is nuts!!

He is so full of personality and life. I always thought Connor and Maddie had such fun personalities, but Cooper takes the cake. He's rarely ever fussy and if he is, he's either hungry or sleepy (we all get that way). He loves to play and to be snuggled. He's terrible about laying down in the bed with me in the mornings - he crawls and stands up all over us. So when he's up, I'm up too. But,  he finds so much joy in the littlest things. It makes you take a step back and realize that they aren't going to be this little and innocent for long, so I'm soaking it all in while he can't talk back :)


Below are some pictures we took of him -- super late, but better late than never :)

Connor's 4 year post

I cannot believe my baby is 4 years old already. The waterworks were in full force on his birthday, as they have been every birthday. Connor is the happiest and most appreciative (most of the time) little boy. He's a whole 31 lbs 12.8oz which puts him in the 14th percentile, and 3 feet 2 inches which is the 8th percentile. He might be on the smaller side, but he's as healthy as can be.

He is not a fan of eating. If he could eat grilled cheese and donuts everyday, he would be a happy (and probably fat) boy. But, mean mom and dad don't let him eat those everyday so most of the time he just grazes on small snacks throughout the day. His BMI is in the 44th percentile so he's not calorie deprived. I've been so worried about him not eating, but the pediatrician said that his body just may not need all the extra calories. So, if she's not worried about it, then I guess I shouldn't be either.

He still is taking his nap in the afternoon. I'm trying to cut it down a little bit because he is having a hard time going to bed at night. We are lucky if he is asleep before 9:15. Most of the time it's 9:30-10 before he's asleep. So I'm trying to cut his nap down to 2-2 1/2 hours. If it's any shorter than that, he would be better off not having a nap at all. If it's any longer, we're looking at a super late bedtime. Which isn't bad on non-school nights, but I don't really want him out of routine to make school nights easier.

Since he's started K3, he has been behaving so much better at home. Before, he wouldn't be willing to do anything I would ask - he would always end up in time-out for not listening or not doing what I asked. Now, he's so much nicer about following directions. He doesn't do it all the time, because he is 4 years old, but about 90% of the time he follows directions.

He is also so smart! I can't believe what a difference K3 has made. We mainly put him in it for the socialization and to give myself a little bit of a break (selfish - I know). Before K3 he could recognize number 1-9 and the alphabet. Now he is writing the letters and numbers, and can recognize numbers 0-19! He loves to write his name. When we went to his well check-up, he showed Dr. B how to write his name in the air. He is so proud! He likes to point out letters on signs when we are walking outside or driving around. He also is so excited to show us how he can write the letter of the week. Side note for parents - sidewalk chalk is perfect for this! We are constantly outside writing numbers and letters. I think his favorite number to write is 2. He thinks it's so funny and gets so excited when he does it right.

He also knows the days of the week and the months of the year. I'm no teacher, so I'm not sure what's supposed to be taught when, but I was so impressed when he came home singing his little songs. He sings the days of the week to the theme from the Addam's family. He does the "Macarena" to the months of the year. Hearing him sing them and doing his little macarena dance makes my little heart swell. I am so glad we chose this year to start putting him in preschool. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Connor is into all things superheroes right now. He loves the Avengers and DC Comics. I think Batman is probably his absolute favorite superhero, but he loves them all (Captain America, Ironman, Spiderman, War Machine, etc). The list goes on and on and on. He also knows pretty much every villain out there. To help him follow directions, we ask him if he is going to be a superhero or a villain. We say "villains make bad decisions and end up in time-out." He usually picks superhero, but some of the time he says "I just want to be Connor" - haha!! It's really helped him out by thinking that way. Every kid is different and responds differently, but using this comparison for him has really been clicking.

He is such a smart kid that won't let you forget anything (which is good and bad). He has such a big heart and we are looking forward to seeing what this year holds for us!

Here's a picture of the birthday boy before he left for school. He was so excited to be able to spend his birthday with his friends.

Update on Maddie - 2 1/2 year check-up

Maddie had her 2 1/2 year check-up today. She will actually be 2 years 7 months old tomorrow, but this is when we could fit in an appointment with our busy schedule and our pediatrician's schedule. She is 100% healthy and growing nicely. They weighed her in at 29.8lbs (57th percentile) and measured her at 2' 11" (47th percentile). We aren't entirely sure how accurate her height is because this is the first time they stood her up to measure her, and with that it's give or take a few centimeters. But, she is as healthy as can be.

She is fully potty trained during the day. She is still in a pull-up at night, but I'm not worried about it one bit. We will get there with the night time training. She's still so young and I don't want to push it. She does really well in panties during her nap each day -- her naps are still around 3-4 hours. If she doesn't have that nap in, oh boy are we in trouble. She is miserable and miserable to be around. So, we try to make sure she has that nap in each day.

She's a pretty good eater. She loves "peanut butter and chocolate" (nutella) sandwiches and would eat one every meal if we let her. She loves to eat salad and fruit (especially blueberries, strawberries, and apples). She still has an intolerance to bananas, but she would eat those if I let her. Sometimes I cave in and give her a little bit of one, but we try to not let her have those a lot. She loves to eat yogurt and donuts -- pink with sprinkles! Sometimes she takes after her older brother and refuses to eat, but I'm thinking it's because her back molars are coming in. She has 2 of the 4 and the other two are due to pop through any day now. 

We are trying to let her be more independent with things. Each morning we wake up, we ask her to make her bed. She obviously can't do it all on her own because she's so little, so I help her out with the comforter. But she's able to put her pillows on her bed where they are supposed to go. We also ask her  to put her plates and cups in the sink when she is done with them (I guess I should say them -- she isn't  the only one being asked to do these tasks). When we get home and she takes her shoes off, she is doing a great job of putting them in the shoe basket. If we didn't have them put their shoes in the shoe basket, shoes would be all over the house and we wouldn't be able to find them. We are also asking her to put her clothes in her drawers and pick out her pajamas and panties from her drawers to wear. We are still working on getting dressed on her own -- little girl clothes have so many buttons and ties -- but she's doing a fantastic job doing what she can. She loves to take her shoes off in the car... so annoying!

She is taking a dance class each week. It's a 45 minute class that does tap the first half and ballet the second half. She absolutely loves it! When I was debating on signing her up, I wasn't sure if she would even care about going and participating. I was just wanting her to get out and socialize with some other people her age. Also, it gets her away from me because she is rather attached to me. The first few weeks, she screamed when she went into class and barely even did anything. I was worried that I was wasting my money and the teachers time. But, I was going to give it a month or two to see how, or if, it would progress. Then the week before halloween (she started the beginning of October) she was told she could wear her costume to dance. I got her all dressed up in her Wonder Woman costume and we went to dance. She just walked right on in like it was nothing. I was shocked and relieved. Then they didn't have class on halloween so I was worried that taking the week off was going to put us back in meltdown mode. But nope, every week from there on out it was "Bye, Mama!!" and she was off into the studio. We've only missed one class since she's started, and she has done so well. She participates for the most part (she's by far the youngest in her class -- everyone else is 4 or close to it). She has her days when she would rather run around and play in  the mirror than participate, but those days are very few and I've noticed when her nap is cut short. We just try to make Monday afternoons as relaxing as possible before we have to leave for dance. We are working on her being able to put her ballet shoes on by herself, but it's still a little challenging for her.

She's very sweet for the most part, but she can get a little sassy sometimes. She mainly gets sassy when she and Connor are playing and he doesn't do what she wants to do. She snaps and screams his name at the top of her lungs. It's terrible. I usually let them work their differences out -- as long as they aren't bleeding, I try to stay out of it-- but sometimes it just gets to be so much that they need to be separated (even if it's just for a minute or two). She responds really well to being sent to her room and having to sit on her bed. She understands that being sent to her room is punishment (especially with the door closed) and she calms herself down. Occasionally she's put in the corner for time out or, if we are out, being taken outside or off to the side to have a heart-to-heart conversation. She really responds well, for now. Literally, that could change tomorrow (please, don't!!!!).

We've just recently moved her into a double bed. She loves her "princess bed!" She moves around so much when she sleeps that she started getting into our bed in the middle of the night. We weren't sure if it was a phase (that wasn't phasing out) or if she was cold or scared. We were able to get our hands on a bunch of bedroom furniture (thanks PaPa and Dee!!) and ever since she's been in the bigger bed, she's barely come into our bed at night. It's seriously like night and day. She and Connor love to jump on her bed -- terrible!!! So that's been a challenge recently.

Here are some pictures of her updated room, one of her before dance, one from her appointment today, and one from the other day when it was almost 80 degrees out.

Cooper's 9 Month and 10 month post

Cooper turned 9 months on the 5th and we JUST had his well check-up appointment this morning -- advice, don't wait until the last minute to schedule well check-ups because you'll end up with a 9 month appointment when your child is almost 10 months old. So since we are so close to him turning 10 months (like in a week), I'm just going to combine the two -- but don't worry, I'll still take his 10 month picture.

He weighs in at a whopping 21lbs 11.5oz (77th percentile) and is an entire 29.3 inches long (73rd percentile). So, basically he's bigger than Connor was at 1 and close to Maddie's size (he's not quite as heavy but he's taller). I was honestly expecting him to be bigger, believe it or not. He's definitely a great eater!

Speaking of eating, he is doing 3 six ounce sippy cups a day. He no longer wants a bottle, so we stick with the sippy cup. I think it's because he can hold the sippy cup and can control it better. I really don't mind this since it doesn't pin me down for those minutes he eats. It also makes me a little sad because that just means he's growing up. But, that's what babies do. He eats pretty much anything and everything you put in front of him. He still loves his peanut butter fold overs at lunch. And his favorite snack food are still the little crunchies.

He is still an excellent sleeper. He wakes-up around 8 (sometimes before if Connor wakes up to go potty and wakes him up). He then goes down for a nap around 9:30 and sleeps until 10:30 or 11. Then he goes back down for a nap around 1 and sleeps until 4:30 or 5. Then he goes to bed around 8 (sometimes before and sometimes later). If this boy does not get these naps and for this length of time, he is CRANKY! He's also the easiest to put down to sleep. Connor and Maddie like to chat and get out of bed a couple of times to give more kisses and hugs before they fall asleep. Cooper is super easy. We literally lay him down, cover him with a blanket, and turn his lullabies and projector on. He's pretty much asleep within 30 seconds. It's sooooooo nice. If he is fussy, we know that he needs something before we put him down -- like a few more ounces in a cup or a diaper change.

He finally began crawling forward. It's taken a while for him to actually move forward and like it. After speaking with the pediatrician today, she said that average age of crawling is actually 10 months. I always thought it was around 8 months or so because Connor and Maddie both were crawling around that time. But, turns out I was wrong and he's on track. He's also pulling up and beginning to scale things a little bit. I forgot that once babies pull up, that's ALL they want to do. Literally, he crawls over to anything and tries pulling up on it. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. Boy does he get mad when it doesn't work out.

He still isn't saying much or babbling much. He's still pretty good at saying "AHHHHH!" on different volume levels. He's saying "uh-oh" a little bit when he drops something and we're pretty sure he said "dada" once. Other than that, it's not much. My pediatrician did say that he's doing just fine and that it is normal for the third to do this. He just mainly sits back and observes. Plus, he's only supposed to have 1-3 words at the age of 1. So if 'uh-oh" is the only thing he says for the next 3 months, then that's just fine. Besides, I'm not sure I can handle another one screaming my name all the time just yet :) Just give me another month or two or ten!!

He loves his jumperoo. Literally, jumps all the time in it still. I keep thinking one day he isn't going to like it anymore. However, I'm fortunate he still likes it because it keeps him in one place. Now that he's crawling, he's all over the house. And he wants to pull up on everything so it makes it easier to keep an eye on him.

He's a fun, loving, little BIG boy! All of us love him so much and his smile is super contagious. We can't get enough of him -- unless he's cranky and needs sleep!

Cooper's 8 Month post

Cooper turned 8 months old 10 days ago. Holy cow -- 8 months?!?! He went to the doctor on Tuesday for his very first sick visit (other than biliruben checks when he was a week old). He's been running fever ranging from 101.6-103.3 since 5am Tuesday morning, so we've been a little distracted recently. Fortunately, he is just fighting off a virus so all three of the White kids have yet to be on any form on antibiotics (unless you count eye drops for pink eye the week before Thanksgiving). 

He weighed in a 20lbs 1.5oz! I honestly thought he would be heavier considering he looks giant!! He's still wearing 6-9month, 9 month, and 6-12 month clothes. He can still wear very few 6 month clothes.

He has two bottom teeth. The second one came in the day after Thanksgiving. I didn't even know! He has been wearing his Amber teething necklace and it has made a huge difference. The moment I put it on him, his drooling decreased tremendously within an hour. I couldn't believe it. So I am a firm believe that this thing works! Best $10 I've spent so far.

He is still only doing 3 bottles a day and drinking 7-8 ounces each bottle. He's doing wonderful with table food. He's able to shovel food into his mouth at an impressive rate. His favorite food is a peanut butter foldover. (And yes, I did get the go ahead from my pediatrician about the peanut butter.) His favorite snack food are those Lil Crunchies and we haven't had a flavor we don't like yet -- well, maybe the cheese kind. I was very hesitant about Cheerios, but he was accidentally given some (thanks big bro) and he actually did well with them. So, in the morning he eats some Cheerios and yogurt melts. I know, I know, I'm not "feeding" him the yogurt like I probably should. But with three kids, breakfast is a little chaotic with waking up, getting milk cups filled, kids potty at different times (I mean could they both just go at the same time?!?), breakfast served, and coffee made. So, mornings are basically "survival mode" and I'm okay with that :)

He's sleeping wonderful -- 11-12 hours. He goes to bed between 8-8:30 and wakes up somewhere between 7:30-8:30. These past few mornings he's been waking up between 4:30-5am because he's running a pretty high temp (around 103) so he's been getting tylenol and a few ounces of a bottle so he can get back to sleep. My poor baby :(

Still not crawling or talking. He still just kind of makes the "ah" sound at very different volumes. I think everyone else just talks for him (#thirdchildproblems). He's also wanting to crawl. He pushes up on all fours and rocks back forth before flopping down like a little penguin on his tummy. He gets very frustrated and lets us know that he's very frustrated. So difficult being a baby!!

His absolute favorite thing to do (besides shovel food into his mouth) is jump in anything that has a spring. He jumps for over an hour at a time in his jumperoo. We call him the Cooper Jumping Bean because he literally just jumps and laughs for forever. He's beginning to use it as his transportation. He jumps and scoots the jumperoo around the floor. He's even pulled our little Christmas tree over on him... that was quickly moved.

So, all in all he's a pretty easy going baby. He just goes with the flow because he kind of has to. He's a sweet little boy!

A little video of him jumping and scooting

Cooper is 7 months old

I'm a week and a half late, but Cooper is now 7 months old. So hard to believe that he is closer to his 1st birthday than he is to the day he was born. AHHHHH!!!!

I have no idea how much he weighs or how tall he is, but he's still pretty hefty. He's in 9 month clothes, but can still wear some 6 month clothes.

He's doing well with eating solids. He has a hard time getting smaller food (puffs, yogurt melts, etc.) into his mouth, but has no problem jawing them whenever they make it in. He still loves his apples! I haven't tried bananas again, but he does okay with foods that have bananas in them. It takes him a while to finish those jars of baby food, but he eventually finishes them. He absolutely LOVES mum-mums - especially apple pumpkin flavor! He's drinking out of a sippy cup okay. He doesn't really like water, but I'm not giving him anything else in it - although I have thought about putting his breastmilk-formula combo in it, I just haven't because I don't want it to go to waste. He's still doing three 7 ounce bottles, with the occasion fourth bottle.

He now has one little tooth. I think the second one is on the way, but there's no telling. We've been waiting for this tooth since he was 4 months old. It's nuts! He is a terrible teether too. He won't sleep and he is super fussy and drooly. I ordered him an amber teething necklace and I'm still pretty skeptical about it. We'll see if it really works when the second tooth comes in. Maddie and Connor were awesome teethers so this is just another way of him telling me he's the third baby and is going to do things completely different from his brother and sister!

Sleep is nice when I get it. He went through a phase of waking up two times a night when his tooth came in. Then he was just fine and slept through the night - roughly 11 hours. Now he has terrible eczema on his feet. So, of course it itches all night long and you can't possibly sleep when it itches. Ughhhh!! Luckily we have the best pediatrician in the world, so we will be picking up some prescription ointment to put on it and will be on the mend soon -- I hope! He still naps really well. About 90 minutes in the morning and 3-4 hours in the afternoon.

He is still not crawling with his tummy off the floor (which I am totally okay with!). He can get wherever he wants doing his little inchworm/army crawl. I'm sure he isn't because I hardly put him on the floor. When he's on the floor, he gets trampled by his brother and sister. So, it's safer to be in the jumperoo or bumbo seat. He can pull up when I offer him my hands but hasn't tried to pull up on furniture -- again, I'm okay with this (I don't need another one to chase around right now before the holidays). He likes to scoot around on his bottom in the bathtub. It's hilarious and reminds me of Maddie when she was this age.

He loves to laugh at his brother and sister because they are so silly! He loves to jump in the jumperoo and he loves to be on my hip all day long. His favorite thing is to be in the front pack when we are in the store. He just bounces around and laughs the entire time. He can sit in the buggy, but when I have all three of them, it's easier to wear him and have Connor and Maddie in the double cart.

We recently had pictures made and this is the most accurate picture we have of the kids personalities. Connor absolutely adores his brother, Maddie is constantly loving on him with hugs and kisses, and Cooper just doesn't know what to think about it all.

And of course his monthly picture