End of July...and some August

I am SO ready to be caught up, so I'm going to try to really get on it so I can be caught up! It's time to be able to blog about current events! Hopefully I can persevere and get it finished fast! Some of the blog will be old information mixed with current information. That'll help us get caugh up, too!

On July 23rd, the boys slept from 10-6:30AM with no wake ups whatsoever! This was very exciting, especially for Josh, who was home alone with the boys. Yep, it was my first night away from them. I slept at my parents' house because I was taking the Praxis early the next morning and wanted to ensure a good night of sleep. Little did I know the gift the boys would be giving us! The afternoon after the Praxis, we went swimming w/ Joshy. (Daddy)

On 7/26/10 JH rolled from his back to his belly and H rolled from his belly to his back. (pic from that day below) It is also the first day they slept in separate beds. I think it was harder on me than it was on them. It makes me sad to have to separate them, but I felt like with all of the rolling going on, it just wasn't safe anymore. I've thought about maybe, in the future, letting them have the option of special nap times where they can sleep together if they want. Obviously, this will come when they can communicate w/ me lol.... so, it'll be a little while. It will also just be a special treat unless they can behave really well and, more importantly, SLEEP really well when they do it! We'll see :o)

The rolling over was the beginning of about a month of hard nights for us, on and off. It pretty much lead us into the 4 month sleep regression. Whew. We would put Jack Henry on his back to go to sleep and he'd spend the whole night squirming while practicing his new trick, waking himself up, and wanting his paci. So, I got to the point where I said, "He can do it on his own, so no harm done..." and I went ahead and put him on his stomach, prayed over him, and started sleeping better again... for a few nights, at least. Eventually, we started putting Harrison on his stomach, too, even though he's not rolling to his stomach yet. I pray over both of them for their safety, and we all sleep so much better. I know that it's controversial, but I feel like I would have less peace about it if it wasn't the right thing for my kids. No?

Although this picture is from a day or two before, I officially started the boys on a nap schedule on Thursday, July 29th. They responded really well, and that first day is still, to date, the best nap day they've ever had! haha The sleep regression has hurt our nap times, too, but they seem to be getting better a little bit at a time, just like our night times.

Being silly with daddy 7/31/10 before going to swim with Laura

Poor, sweet Miley girl. She doesn't get as much attention as she used to, but she's still well-loved. She is VERY sweet with the babies and has grown up so much since they were born and she also turned 2 in May--I think that made a huge difference! This puppy who used to sleep in her crate every night is now so trustworthy that she basically has free roam of the house at night. She usually starts off in our room and sometime during the night she will work her way out to "her couch." I am incredibly proud of her!

On July 31st, we took the boys over to Aunt Sharon's to swim with my cousin Laura. Laura was so excited about them swimming with her that she and Aunt Sharon went out and bought the boys swimming outfits, complete with hats. It was so generous of them and they picked out some cute stuff!

Jack Henry and "Captain" (Uncle Ira)I wish the shadow wasn't over his face, but JH just looks like such a ham in this pic. I look forward to the years of entertainment and joy these boys will give/share with us :)

HAHAHAHA I know it's blurry, but H makes some of the best faces! LOL

AUGUST 2ND-----Just a little play time with Mommy (yay! I've made it to August! We're almost caught up... )

On August 3rd, I went to Oak Street over in Crestline for one of my former Camp Winnataska campers, Mallory P., to cut my hair.... for the first time since last Fall! Crazy. That morning, I also caught this cuteness on my cell phone camera. Sigh.... :o)

We started the morning of 8/3/10 with the boys' first stroll in the jogging stroller their Gigi got for them at a garage sale for $35----what a steal! That morning's stroll is definitely filed in my mind as a learning moment. Josh and I thought that leaving at 7:45AM, the weather would be cool enough for us to walk to Panera, eat breakfast, and walk back. Weeeeell.... As new parents, we are in a constant state of figuring out what works and what doesnt AND... that morning just didn't work well. LOL. It was too hot in the first place, but we also kept the boys in their long-sleeved pajamas.... Clearly it just wasn't thought through very well. You live, you learn. When we got to Panera, we stripped them down and cooled them down w/ some cool paper towels and AC. On the way home, we hustled and discussed what we learned from the experience Ha ha....

Before leaving.

Here is how we left....

....and here's how we returned.

Talking with Daddy on August 4th

Bath time that evening..

Most of the time I bathe them in the sink, but they are really too long to do it anymore, so I've been doing it in the tub some, too. This AM (8/31/10) I actually put their sponge pad that I use in the sink in the tub for them to lay on and it seemed to work really well. They were easier to keep from sliding all over the place than they are in the bath chair. haha...

I think I'll wrap this up for the evening. I actually see the end of "catch up" in sight! I've made an outline for myself of big days in August, so the next post should be an easy one to whip out. Maybe I can get it done tomorrow? Hmm.... No promises Ha ha.

Sweet dreams, y'all!