I posted 7 new sets to Flickr
Nicky goes to the Zoo
Brandons First Plane Ride
Brandon's first Trip to SF
The Beach and the Patch
Dan's Birthday at Tokies
Auntie Alex and Nicky
Brandon's Baptism
and I added more random shots to the set The Boys - Sept 2009
Here is a list of all the words Nicky can Say right now. It will be fun (for me) to see how many more he adds each month and then compare Brandon in the future
Mommy
Daddy
Zeus
Val
Duck
Dog
Cat
Moo
Car
Truck
Eye
Nose
Bubble
Cracker (pronounced crakaeur with an english accent)
I picked Nicky up from school today and it was the 3rd time in so many days that I realized that my little baby is growing up so fast. Yes, I know they grow up, but I find wonderment in his wonderment and it is simply fascinating. "Good Job Nicky, You are so Smart!" has become my new motto - I sound like a broken record...but I don't care. He is my pride and joy.
First, on Saturday, Nicky ran into our spare bedroom where we have a large floor length mirror and he pointed at himself and said "ME!" At first it didn't register and then I thought, holy cow, he said ME. He knows who he is!!
Then in the bath on Sunday, Nicky kept asking for more toothpaste, over and over and over again until I finally said No More! He didn't cry or throw a tantrum like he is known to do, but simply said "Pwease". Pwease - he said it himself, and I didn't have to ask him to say it! My baby has a mind of his own...and he thinks! And Pwease is the cutest word he says right now. He follows that up with his smile that melts your heart. And finally, today as we were driving home, I saw him studying his arm and very carefully picking flakes of dried glue off his skin. He was concentrating so hard. He's only 16 months and looked so serious. I couldnt help but picture him at 5, 10, 20 and imagine what he will be like....I am just amazed that I produced this little creature!
Speaking of creatures (and back to reality), Nicky was an absolute monster getting his first haircut. I had such high hopes! We started off in a good place and after the Abeling tail was snipped he burst into tears and thats was the end of any sort of calmness. We actually had to finished his haircut on the floor at the Thomas the Train table. It was the only thing that distracted him long enough to get snipped. We did get a great picture at the end of a cool momento of this milestone for our baby books.
On to Brandon's weekend...on Friday, Brandon had his 2 month check up and his first shots. Its amazing how much they grow in just 8 weeks. Brandon weighed in 12 pounds 15 oz and registered in at the 75th percentile. At the same time, Nicky was 12 pounds, 9 ounces. Brandon is 23 tall (50th) and his head is in the 40th percentile. Nicky was taller at 23 1/4th and his head was practically the same. Brandon got a clean bill of health, but has the same abnormal hemoglobin that Nicky has. I have to follow up with the blood dr, but if its the same as Nicholas, we shouldnt expect any serious problems. I like to think I have 2 super heros. The appointment ended with his vaccines. Its so hard to hold them down and then hear them scream. But I love that as his mommy I can hold him and comfort him and make things all better.
Brandon is also showing lots of good early development like following you with his eyes, holding his head up, and making lots of cooing sounds. Overall he is a pretty good baby except for sleeping. Its been 10 weeks and I am not getting any sleep. He sleeps from 9pm ish to about 1 or 2 am (maybe 12) and after that he is up every 1-2 hours. Its been miserable, and poor Dan has witnessed and been a recipient of my mighnight wrath. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass...but in the meantime it is pretty shitty. I'm officially exhausted! :)
Other than no sleep, I am enjoying my new addition. He has a little personality and I can't wait to see how different he will be from Nicky. Right now is going through a bad baby acne stage and we are trying very hard to keep his head round. :) He still wont take a pacifier, but we found that he likes to gnaw on a blanket. Its really cute watching him go at it and keeps him busy which is nice for us.
Overall our weekend was spent entertaining our boys, football, and trying to get snatches of sleep hear and there. Saturday we had another date night and were able to try a new steak and sushi restaurant called Mizu, and went to a movie to see All About Steve, which we thought was pretty funny.
Sunday I spent the day with Nicky while Dan watched football all day. Dan owes me big time. I am already looking forward to Feb.
We have an exciting weekend ahead - Aunt Jennie comes to visit! It should be fun and then we fly to SF for Brandon's Baptism. Yay!
Nicky does NOT like doggie doo doo. He will have a fit if he sees it. Here is a cute little video where he shows me some. If you listen close, he says "eww" and "poo poo"
Boys love balls - small ones, big ones, inflatable ones, sports balls, T-balls, bouncy ones, and beach balls. And Nicky is no exception. Last month Nicky got his first soccer ball, a present from Auntie Val and Auntie Shauna. Unfortunatley he has never kicked the soccer ball, but loves to kick his beach ball.
We had a really busy weekend, even though it felt like we did nothing. Friday night we took the boys to Waterloo Ice House to meet up with some new friends, the Molers. They have kids the same ages as Nicky and Brandon and I know in a year from know we will be very happy to sit back with an ice cold beverage while they play with Davis and Anna.
Saturday we got up to go to Gymboree's Fall Party, and when we got there we found out its this coming weekend. Opps...so we went to Chair King and bought some new patio furniture for our outdoor courtyard. Here we are enjoying our new loveseat. Its impossible to get both boys to look at the camera!
Nicholas also got a new table. He is a serious art student, so we bought some fine crayons and art paper to help him hone his drawing techniques. Then he ate them and made some pretty orange marks on the new walls.
Saturday night Dan and I went out by ourselves! We got a sitter, the wonderful Lori Sweeney and we went to The Paggi House for one of the best dinners I've ever had in Austin. Dan had lobster bisque, salmon tartare, and leek and corn risotto. I had the beef tenderrloin with truffled fingerling potatoes and wild mushroom ragout. Soooooooooooo good. I highly recommend it.
This weekend, the temperatures actually dipped below 100 degrees and we even got some sporatic rain.We tested the new stroller and fell in love. The Valco has lived up to his reputation so far and the boys seem to like it too. Its very easy to control and drive. Plus its very sophisticated to look at! :)
We visited Matt and Kristi Brown for their Labor Day party, and Nicky went to Colin Cooks birthday party. We capped the weekend off with a day at the pool and dinner with Grandpa Ray Ray.
I think the highlight of the whole weekend was Nicky saying Val for the first time. He was so proud of himself and I know it made Val's year and has crushed my mom that he hasn't say Booba first. We're working on it, and we're close...Bubba. But the first family name he said was not Val, but Zeus!
Good news this week! Brandon gets to start at Primrose, the same school Nicky goes to starting in October. I also decided to get a nanny for the 3 weeks until he starts rather than put him in the other day care. (Thanks Mamma Lori!) This will be much easier for me and help with the transition. I hope with the free time I get before I start work, I can finally finish the remaining boxes and organize the boys rooms.
Thanks to my friend Liz, I got this neat-o hands free bottle device. I hope Brandon has a "suck" strong enough to make this work. I will keep you posted as soon as it arrives and we try it out. Today he made some progress with his pacifier. I was able to get him to use it for about 30 minutes without me or Dan holding it in. We still can't get him to rest or hang out, unless he is in our arms, or sleeping or eating. We get maybe 20 minutes a day where he will be awake and happy. The rest of his awake time is in our arms ...UGH.I am also taking him to the Dr tomorrow because he has a really bad cough and congestion.
Nicholas is proving to be my little helper. Here he is throwing things away for me (things HE threw on the ground during breakfast) I love him to death...
In other news....
I think everyone knows I like to shop. I also admit I have a problem. I shop too much and thus spend too much. About 2 years ago, Dan put me on a budget. $200 every paycheck went into my own account that I could spend in any way I wish and to my heart content. Well honestly I tried to stick to it, somewhere down the line, my budget bled into our own joint account. Anyways, fast forward to this past summer, the perfect storm : 3 month maternity leave and unlimited access to online shopping...
To be honest, I blame Gilt, Rue La La, and Haute Look for my recent downfall! I swear they are geniuses. Make us vulnerable girls even more susceptible by emailing us membership only secret sales and put a time limit on it. Never fails. Brilliant Marketing.
So this week I staged my own Intervention after yet another package arrived. (I could not resit these L.A.M.B shoes to wear with my new skinny jeans!)I tried to keep it secret, but Nicky pulled out the popcorn packaging and the sales slip from RevolveClothing.com and handed it right to Dan..... So now I made another promise to Dan and my family that I can not shop outside of my budget or I need approval from Dan.
Brandon is starting to show some personality now. Here he is at 6 weeks starting to smile and make cooing sounds. And no Abeling Baby likes to stay dressed!
Last year I posted weekly pictures of Nicholas and I decided to post a monthly set this time. Its too hard to create 2 different sets for both Nicholas and Brandon each week. I will continue to take pictures each week, but I will just add them to 1 set . The first is "The Boys - August 09". Tomorrow I will start "Sept 09", etc...
Speaking of creatures (and back to reality), Nicky was an absolute monster getting his first haircut. I had such high hopes! We started off in a good place and after the Abeling tail was snipped he burst into tears and thats was the end of any sort of calmness. We actually had to finished his haircut on the floor at the Thomas the Train table. It was the only thing that distracted him long enough to get snipped. We did get a great picture at the end of a cool momento of this milestone for our baby books. 
Saturday we got up to go to Gymboree's Fall Party, and when we got there we found out its this coming weekend. Opps...so we went to Chair King and bought some new patio furniture for our outdoor courtyard. Here we are enjoying our new loveseat. Its impossible to get both boys to look at the camera!
Nicholas also got a new table. He is a serious art student, so we bought some fine crayons and art paper to help him hone his drawing techniques. Then he ate them and made some pretty orange marks on the new walls.
Thanks to my friend Liz, I got this neat-o hands free bottle device. I hope Brandon has a "suck" strong enough to make this work. I will keep you posted as soon as it arrives and we try it out. Today he made some progress with his pacifier. I was able to get him to use it for about 30 minutes without me or Dan holding it in. We still can't get him to rest or hang out, unless he is in our arms, or sleeping or eating. We get maybe 20 minutes a day where he will be awake and happy. The rest of his awake time is in our arms ...UGH.I am also taking him to the Dr tomorrow because he has a really bad cough and congestion. 
Nicholas loves to play in the fountains at the Domain and Hill country Galleria. 
Nicky and Brandon in their double stroller. We are still waiting for the new Valco to arrive!
Brandon is showing signs that he loves the water as much as Nicholas. He starts to "coo" when you wash his head.
