All the single ladies...

Way back, like when Jayden was four months old, we noticed his affection for scantly clad women. It all began during a stroller ride through Washington Square Mall.... Tony and I were just strolling through with our four month old little Jayden sitting up facing forward in his stroller. As we approached Victoria Secret I noticed that Jayden's attention was fixed on one area and as we got closer his little head continued to turn toward the store. As we passed directly in front of the store, he was turned sideways in his stroller...and...as we passed, he turned himself all the way around to continue looking at the sexy mannequin ladies. This little ritual continued for many months and maybe even into his second or third year!

Fast forward...American Music Awards last Sunday night...

We had just returned from dinner at a friends house and decided to turn the TV on for the last few minutes before Jayden's bed time. Moments after tuning in Beyonce was introduced to sing her new single Put a Ring On It. I am not kidding, Jayden sits straight up as Beyonce comes on stage with her two backup dancers, all three wearing nothing more than a bustier type outfit. Jayden says, "I want to see this and then I'll go to bed". As she and her dancers shake and bounce Jayden starts commenting on their moves..."I like when they turn around and shake their butt." He was mesmerized for the entire performance. At the end of it all he said they did a great job and he hoped we recorded it on Tivo...oh, so sorry...we didn't.

Boys!

Get out and VOTE!

The latest message, approved by Jayden...and Landon...

Regardless of who you are supporting, please be a participant in history today, VOTE.

Halloween Fun

This year marked Jayden's 5th Halloween and Landon's 1st. I had purchased a Superman costume for Jay but at the last minute he decided he wanted to be the UPS man. Apparently my moment of brilliance paid off as everyone thought his "package" was the best part (it doubled as his candy bin).

Technically this only Jayden's second time trick-or-treating. He's had an ear infection every year before last year. He only visited about 7 houses on our new block here before telling Tony he was done and wanted to go home to hand out candy to the other kids.

These mid-west people confuse me. You would think they would be able to tell the difference between a cow and a dalmation, right? Apparently not because my little Landon was a cute little dalmation and yet he kept getting compliments on his cow costume.

Day 5, The Final Day, Wednesday, October 1, 2008

We love Omaha. The city is beautiful, the people diverse and we just fell in love with it. Not that I ever want to live there.

We are heading 'home' on this leg, 440 miles to go.

In our typical exit, we planned on getting into a Starbucks. In our typical experience thus far, not so fast. There are no Starbucks between Omaha and Des Moines!!!!!!!! Seattle has a Starbucks on nearly all four corners of an intersection and here there is no Starbucks for over 107 miles. What the "F" man. So we starve way to Des Moines to find there are only TWO starbucks in this city!! I would have to move.

I have to hand it to the boys. Jayden hasn't had one outburst in the car the entire trip. Landon has been fine looking at himself in the mirror for five days now. Tony is permantely twisted from sitting sideways between the boys. I think they inherited my gene for car travel.

Each day as we passed into a new state I asked Tony to get a picture of the welcome sign. We have a picture of 'Welcome to Illinois'. I guess that's the most important one anyway.

We pulled into our new driveway around 6:30opm, said hello to one of our new neighbors and took the boys inside to 'meet' their new home. Tiger climbed out of her krate and proceeded to find a warm spot to lay down for a long nap...wow long transition for her. Jayden ran through the house saying 'Oh yeah, I like this guys'. He examined each room upstairs and settled on a room that is closer to Mommy and Daddy than Landon's room and Landon received the bigger of the options! Jayden will one day realize his error. Until our furniture arrives (a full week away) we are 'camping out' on air mattresses in the living room.

In some ways I'm glad the journey is over and at the same time I'm sad the journey is over. We had a lot of fun and good memories over the last five days and 2100 miles. There was not one argument, no raised voices, and endless laughter. Moving is not always fun and I don't want to do it again for some time but, when the time comes I hope we do it just the same as we did this time.

Day 4, Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Jayden and Landon seemed to be the only ones that slept last night.

Today we are heading from Cheyenne to Omaha, NE...500 miles. This is our longest day of driving. My only salvation is that we are booked at the Hilton tonight. Jayden's only salvation is the DVD system.

Poor Tony, the man puts up with a lot. Throughout this trip Tony has been subjected to quite a bit. He usually starts the leg off in the front seat, holding whatever won't fit in the backseat. We usually set out just after feeding the Landon so he'll nap for the first few hours. We stop to refuel, the car and ourselves, and musical chairs begins. Jayden and Landon both like to have someone in the back with them so Tony moves everything from between their seats into the front seat and proceeds to wedge himself into the seat sideways. Jayden usually watches a DVD during this time and although Tony can watch along he can't use the headphones because he wouldn't hear Landon. His only break is at the rest stops to check the cat and feed Landon.

Day 3, Monday, September 29, 2008

We slept in a bit this morning. Who could blame us after the previous hotel stay. Everyone was in good spirits as we set out on our half way trek. After shipping one suitcase 'home' we were more comfortable in the car but it still took three rolling cart loads to load everything in.

Utah has some very beautiful landscape to look at. We drove by Parley's Summit which is the namesake of one friend's dog. We stopped in at Starbucks in Park City. And the rest is pretty much a blur as we passed by at 85 miles an hour. We are heading to Cheyenne, Wy just 440 miles.

At this point in the trip things are starting to become funnier and funnier. Tony laughes every time I get into a yelling match with the navigation hussy. She can't just let me take an exit for a fill-up or Starbucks with out quickly telling me "follow the current road until a safe u-turn can be made". Woman, I can see that damn freeway from the gas station...I think I can find my way back without guidance. I'm also noticing a very 'scary' trend as we progress east...the number of warning signs at rest stops and along the freeway about natural hazards, like weather, animals and more weather. Tony and I have had a disagreement regarding the difference between 'hearing loss' and 'damaged hearing'. Tony says there is no difference, I say there is.

In Cheyenne we were staying at the La Quinta Inn. Tony explained to me that in spanish it translates out to 'hotel conveniently located between well traveled railroad tracks'. Every 30 minutes like clockwork. Once we got into the hotel and unloaded (three rolling cart loads) we were hungry. My navigation said there was a Sonic nearby however when we pulled into the 'parking lot' we were staring at an empty lot and the the side of a brick building...apparently Sonic moved. We were able to find the new location and Tony sucked down his lime aid before we were out of the parking lot. We got back to the hotel, and the four of us climbed into the one King size bed...now I know what sardines feel like.

Day 2, Sunday, September 28, 2008

After a very restless night at the 'Bates', I was up at 5am. I showered, repacked everthing and got the boys up. Tony showered. Landon took a bottle. Jayden whined because he wanted pancakes. Once we were all up and dressed, Jayden and I made the three trips down to the car with the rolling luggage cart (yep, it took three trips). By 7:30am we were ready to check out of the hotel from hell and head down the road, way ahead of schedule.

Tony, Jayden and I had planned on grabbing something to eat at Starbucks but as I explained in the previous post, that plan went out the window. We settled for McDonalds and headed East toward Salt Lake City, 340 miles. My plan was to drive approximately 10 over the speed limit. With the standard speed limit 75, we did 85 for the remainder of the drive.

We were doing very well today. The cat realized that this rollercoaster ride was not going to end if she just continually threw up and she finally calmed down. She even enjoyed the stops with a little fresh air as she sat at the door of her krate with our hatch up. The kids seemed settled into our routine and were doing great.

We decided to stop at an Albertsons in Rock Springs (I think we were in Utah at this point). "Thelma" at the Deli counter must have lost her mind on the way to work that day because hes lipstick looked as if she had put it on while riding a freight train and she obviously never had someone order a half a sandwich. She made us a sandwich on half a loaf of bread?! I tried to correct her twice and she kept telling me she knew what I was asking for...apparently not. But, as Tony pointed out, it only cost us $2.49.

We pulled into Salt Lake City around 3pm. Thank the lord we were staying at a Hilton with clean rooms and room service. Tiger only tried to escape once. My bigger bit of business today was in finding an Office Depot so we could ship one suitcase with dirty clothes to ourselves in Illinois. Shipping one suitcase helped greatly with the spacial issues in the car. We returned to our room, ordered room service and watched Amazing Race. I love the Hiltons.

Day 1, Saturday, September 27th

We woke up early with the intention that we would be on the road out of the city by 10am. We still had to pick up the cat from boarding, stop by the house for a final goodbye and clean out the freezer. I forgot the freezer the day before. I can't remember everything.


As I cleaned out the freezer Tony and Jayden were gathering the baby gate hinges off the staircase. I was nearly done when I suddenly heard whailing from Jayden upstairs. I run up asking what happened and there in a heap are the Tony and Jayden with tears flowing. No one is talking they're just staring at me as if I spoke to them in some foreign monkey language. Finally, Tony gets out that Jayden was standing in his now empty room and just lost it. He didn't want to move and leave his room. He liked his Hillsboro, Oregon house. So we all sat at the top of the stairs crying...Landon was downstairs playing in his car seat. I dried Jayden's tears and took him outside for one last picture on the walk path to the front door. Within minutes he was fine.


By now the car was at it's capacity and we still had to get the cat. With the cat and all her medications, bags of food, litter pans, water bottle, food bowl, water bowl and comfy bedding thing, my car was about to burst. But, we were on the road and ahead of schedule...which allows for a quick stop at Starbucks.


Day one was one the job trainning. We had to stop about every 30-45 minutes to clean up cat puke. Then Landon was hungry. Now Jayden. Tony needed to stretch the legs. See, with all the extra stuff we ended up with in the car Tony had to actually hold stuff on his lap! Gas time and the last time someone else will pump it for me...wooohooo. Everyone but the cat was in high spirits and loving the car ride. We were traveling 440 miles today. It should have taken about 8 hours, instead it took a little over 10. We pulled into Boise, ID a little after 7pm. Tony wasn't done unloading the car until almost 8pm.


Let's talk about Boise. Don't go there unless you have to. They only have a few Starbucks, and the one we stopped at didn't serve breakfast foods, so we try McDonalds. The McDonalds didn't serve anything on biscuits, only the McMuffin versions. Our hotel was as scary as they come. I wouldn't let Jayden walk in the hotel room without shoes on, it was just a little scummy. Unfortunately only a few hotels take pets and in Boise, this was only one. To top it off, I had already reserved rooms in all our other stop points with the same chain of hotels but Tony was about to rescue us.


Tony had grabbed a brochure from the Lakespur, which showed it was a Hilton hotel. The night before I had noticed it was a pet friendly hotel! On the phone I was and within 15 minutes of checking into the 'Bates Motel' I had cancelled our other reservations and found Hiltons in all but one city.

Time to Go

Thursday and Friday, September 25th & 26th, 2008.

At 8am I took Jayden to Pre-K as usual and headed home to meet the men that were going to pack all our belongings into boxes. It wasn't until the ride home that I realized we had just spent the last night in our Oregon home. Over the next week would be living out of suitcases and hotel rooms.

When we moved from Seattle to Portland the moving company sent two men and mid way through the day we had five people feverishly packing so the job would be completed in one day. Imagine my surprise when I greeted only two men when I arrived back from dropping Jayden. I asked if they were it and they assured me they would be done and out by 2pm. Ha. By 11am they added another guy and while out picking up Jayden from Pre-K the fourth man arrived. Even with all that man power they still weren't out of our house until a little after 5pm. But, the packing was done and I did none of it.

The boys and I checked into our hotel room at Lakespur Inn, just north of the Nike plane hanger at the Hillsboro Airport. It had become our routine each morning on the way to school to try to peer into the windows as we passed to see if the Nike planes were "eating breakfast" before heading out to play in the sky. I figured this would score some points with my Jayden on his big adventure.

Friday morning was the usual. Up, shower and dress. Boys up. Jayden fed. Usually he gets pancakes however I didn't have those but I felt pretty good that I had gotten some of those sample packs of cereal, except that I forgot to get a little thing of milk and our hotel didn't have room service. At least he ate something and who doesn't love crunching on dry cereal. Landon fed. Wrestle both boys into some clothing. Pack a diaper bag for Landon and out the door. Today was Jayden's last day at Knowledge Beginnings, Hillsboro but he didn't seemed phased at all. Drop Jayden and meet the men that were loading our boxes onto the truck.

Landon and I sat on the floor of our house as the men loaded every one of our belongings onto the truck. We sat just watching and grabbing those little things I thought we might need on the trip. During the loading process I loaded our things into the car making sure everything would fit nicely...and it did! Until Tony got home.

Tony had left his suitcases in Oregon and had planned on getting a little duffle bag on the other side of security at the Chicago O'hare Airport. "Not so fast" said the security woman as she waved her finger in Tony's face. Apparently you can't go through security with CVS shopping bags as suitcases and she made Tony buy a suitcase before going through the security check. Tony also forgot to mention that he was bring his backpack too.

Tony arrived in Oregon as the men were finishing up and I was heading out to pick up Jayden from school. Jayden had to go say goodbye to all his favorite teachers, that would be everyone in the school. Then he was off to a final playdate with his best friend and future wife, Kira (Kira told Jayden they were getting married and he agreed). We grabbed Jay just after he had dinner with Kira and headed back to the hotel.

The next day would begin the big adventure, and Jayden would finally realize what it meant to move away.

Are we there yet?

My word, moving is stressful. We are still a few weeks away from loading the family in the car and driving 2100 miles across the country to our new home in Illinois, and all I want is to be done already. Jayden is a little excited about a new room. Landon is a little excited about his next bottle, it is Landon after all. Tony and I are excited it's almost over.

Our house in Hillsboro is still on the market. Boy did this move come at a wonderful time. Really it's a double edged sword...the selling market sucks but the buyers market is delightful. And, when you have a barracuda for a purchasing agent, it's even better.

Of course no housing purchase would be without chaos and nerves. Those Illinois lawmakers worked overtime in the realty department. There are so many laws, rules, hoops and bridges to cross just for one little home. Once we got through the inspection, big sigh of relief...and then the radon test came back...failed. The sellers have to put in a mitigation system. Fine. Then our mortgage broker was told she couldn't finance our house for us because she didn't have a special license for Illinois (she has helped us purchase every one of our homes thus far). Luckily, she was working with someone from Illinois and he took over the process and she's out her commission. Everything is moving smoothly and then Ike came ashore. Chicago was hit with the remnants and flooded...including our lending company offices! Good that our lender had sent our paperwork to the bank Friday. Big sigh of relief. Just let us get through this week and we should be the official owners of a home in Naperville and the real moving can begin.

If all that housing drama wasn't enough...we still have the cat. Remember our beloved Tiger. The 16 year old financial investment, I mean kitty. She's the reason we're driving to Illinois, all 2100 miles of driving. See, we can't fly with her because she's a nervous traveler (throwing up and excessive meowing the whole way). Most people would just mildly sedate their pet and fly em, but Tiger is Asthmatic, Diabetic and has a heart condition which restricts our ability to sedate. Moving is stressful for everyone, and apparently very stressful for a furry little creature that lays in sunny spots all day. She has come down with a stress induced upper respiratory infection that requires medication. In order to keep the infection from coming back she was also put on anti-anxiety medication! I swear if this cat dies within three weeks of arriving in Illinois I will resuscitate her just so I can murder her myself. (I'm kidding (mildly) so don't send animal activists after me because I don't need any more on the plate).

Honestly it has been a fun experience, however, I don't necessarily want to repeat it in the very near future. Jayden has been super great and really the man of house while Tony's away. Landon is just happy. Tony and I take everything as it comes and laugh. Soon it will all be over and we'll find ourselves saying things we never thought we would..."remember when we did this in Oregon, oh we miss it..."

Pulling Up the Tent Stakes

Well, as most know by now, we are moving again! This move will take us to parts unknown...the midwest, Chicago to be exact. It's parts unknown for me and the boys but for Tony it's like returning home. Our Portland house is currently on the market and we are frantically searching for a new house in the Chicago suburbs; a house with enough room to wait out the winters without killing one another.

The last few weeks have been spent in a paniced attempt to visit our favorite sights and sounds one last time...

We took a day trip to the Oregon Coast. Our favorite is Cannon Beach but the parking there was non existent so we settled for sand play and kite flying in Seaside instead.

We've visited the Oregon Zoo. A new baby elephant was born just 1.5 weeks ago so we headed out to view the little guy. We were there at the same time as the Roloffs (check out Little People Big World on TLC to find out about them). It's fitting since I see Amy around Hillsboro quite often but Tony had only seen them once.

And finally, we did a quick day trip to Seattle to take Jayden (and Landon) to his first MLB game; the Mariners v. Oakland A's. What made this even more special is that my first MLB game came when I was about 5 to see the Oakland A's in Oakland, it was almost like a full circle moment. (I need to lay off that Oprah.) Jayden loved every minute; seeing the mens on the field, the roar of the crowd, eating hotdogs and dip n' dots with Dad, and of course, the giant play structure in the Center Field stands. Landon, not so much to like about the whole experience. He especially hated the roar of the crowd.

While we never fully envisioned ourselves living in Oregon long, it is still a very hard transition. We will be truly leaving our Seattle friends behind now, no more day trips up to visit. We've made a few wonderful friends here in Portland too and they will be greatly missed. Jayden's best friend whom he has known since he was 3 months, she will be hard for him to let go of.

But hey, we have a lot to look forward to...like hot and humid summers and frigidly cold/snowy winters! As we see it, Tony will be miserable for the six cold winter months out of the year and Tony will be miserable while I am miserable for those six hot and humid months of the year. This will truly be one of the funnest and most educational experiences of our lives, we just have to remain optomistic. Stay tunned...

Getting Big

Landon had his 4 month checkup this week. He's a big one, weighing in at 16.2 lbs. He's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Tony and I marvel at how big his thighs are so for fun I measured them...they are just 1 inch smaller than my upper arms!

I don't know if it's the added attention Landon gets about his weight or seeing Landon eat often but something seems to have triggered Jayden's appetite. He is constantly eating these days. In fact, at Landon's visit I asked to have Jayden weighed as well and he's shot up almost two full pounds to 27!

Now there are two new developments that could also be contributing to this eating and weight gain.

First, Jayden is growing taller and taller by the day so he's convinced that he's about to outgrow his carseat and needs a booster instead. I did find a booster for kids 30lbs and over however most recommend 40lbs and over. Jayden has a goal in mind and is working hard on achieving it.

I think this next thing is the major reason...Jayden says that we are having a new baby! Actually, the new baby is in Jayden's tummy and his name is Krypto the Super Puppy. We happened upon a cartoon on Boomerang called Krypto the Super Dog (he was Superman's dog when Superman was a boy). Jayden fell in love with this show from day one and can't get enough. So, he got a new brother because one grew in Mommy's tummy, thus, Jayden will get a puppy because one is growing in his tummy. The best was when I asked him how and when he was going to get out of his tummy (I was fully expecting to have a very interesting conversation a little early in someone's life). He told me that when Landon got a little bigger Krypto was going to come out through his mouth! Phew! He already wants to go to the pet store to get doggy food and treats for him and obviously has a name picked out . The best is at night when I tuck him in, I also have to give Krypto kisses on Jayden's tummy...and last night he said Hot Dog was also in there...apparently he's having a litter of puppies.

We'll keep you updated as to how Jayden's journey with Krypto goes. We may even give in and let him win this one!

Summertime

Finally, Summer has arrived! After eight long months of rain and clouds, we are finally able to feel the sun's warm rays and enjoy some warm weather. Not kidding, eight months.

Jayden finished up his year in pre-school. He still attends summer camp at his school but he's altered his schedule a bit. He wanted a bit of break; attends every other week and, he wanted to be able to do show-and-tell; now attends all five days of his weeks on. I love that he's completely unphased about getting up in front of his class to speak. The first week of September will bring his first day of Pre-K!

Landon is working on his beefcake physique. He's already up to 15 pounds! 10 more and he's caught up to Jayden! Landon's eating habits have led both Tony and I to come up with the nicknames Baby Cujo and Chunky Monkey for him. Landon now holds his head quite well, figured out the use of his right arm (mainly to get into the mouth to chew on) and is beginning to sit up (with assistance of course). I got out the excersaucer and Landon loves it...not for the toys but to sit and watch his brother play around. The other day it entertained both, while Landon sat in it trying to figure out what he was supposed to do Jayden was underneath with a screwdriver trying to take the scews out in an effort to change the bouncy springs. I'll be keeping an eye out.

We took our first summer trip up to Seattle to dip the Landon (baptism). The weather was great, we got to catch up with friends and just enjoy the long weekend. I will definately be taking Jayden up I-5 for a Mariner game and train ride later this summer.

4th of July gave Jayden and Landon their first experience at a parade. Landon slept most of time. Jayden had a great time waiting for the firetrucks and ambulence to come down the parade route. I think he loved collecting the candy that was thrown best, oh, and the pepperoni sticks that one float was throwing. A great parade experience and it only rained on us for the last 15 minutes of the parade (welcome to summer activities Pacific Northwest style).

My Brother, My Hero

Although Jayden has had a few rough moments dealing with shared attention, he loves his baby brother from his head to his "little piggies". He can't wait to help get him up in the morning, climbing up the side of the crib to say "hello Landon". The squeals of delight come when Landon looks right at him and smiles. He is very protective, kitty can not get too close or she gets pushed to the ground. And, he is right there to offer a "blinkey" to a crying Landon or help get his bottle ready at each feeding.

My favorite moment was yesterday as I was leaving to run errands. Jayden says bye to me, Tony does too and then Jayden yells after me, "I will take care of Landon while you are away." He's even said to me that he is big enough to watch Landon. He just can't get enough.

However, all this mushy lovey stuff stops cold turkey when we put Landon in the car. He hates car rides. Jayden has always loved them. So now, if we talk about getting in the car to head out Jayden will quickly say, "Nope, Landon will scream, we need to stay home". The other day he told me to take Landon home and he and Daddy would go out together to the toy store. Sure, I get the screaming one.

This morning as Landon was getting his weekly weigh in (this kid will literally pass Jayden's weight by the time he turns 1, hell, before then if he keeps going like he has) and Jayden said, "soon Landon will be big enough to share my clothes. And then, when he's big enough to be in my clothes, he can sleep in my bed with me because he will be too big for his baby room".

I love watching my boys together and taking in the memories. I just hope these memories hold me together during those years when they are pushing each other to the ground threatening the other's life. I think that's what got my mom through.

Picture Day

We got Jayden's 4year pictures taken. He even invited Landon to join him in one.

He's Four!

Last week we celebrated Jayden's 4th birthday. It's so hard to believe that he is four already. Given the big changes in his life in recent months we decided to do it up big time this year so we celebrated for over a week!

The weekend before his birthday we celebrated with some of his friends from school at My Gym. The kids got an hour and half of fun filled play time and birthday cake. A fireman cake. The next day, Sunday, we took Jayden to Bike n' Hike in downtown Hillsboro to pick out his very own big boy bike with training wheels. We also got the professionally fitted helmet, and if they sold them I would have also purchased elbow, knee and body pads. Apparently they make riding a bike a little more difficult and they are not necessary until the training wheels come off. The guy told us that this bike, if keep out of the elements, will last 20-25 years. Who needs a bike to last that long?

Monday through Wednesday we kept reminding Jayden that he was only a few days away from his birthday and there was a big surprise on that day. Late Wednesday night Momma and Poppa Coles FLEW into Portland from Ohio. This was a huge deal. They are in their mid 70's and mid 80's and that was their first and, if Momma Coles has it her way, last flight. They flew in especially for Jayden's birthday and spent the rest of the weekend with us.

Come Thursday, Jayden had his grandparents, a new Playmobil Firehouse and yet another cake. This time it was a chocolate/vanilla ice cream cake that had firetrucks on top. (Note to self, plan ahead next time so you aren't scouring a store for little firetrucks to put on top of a cake that you ended up buying at the last minute.)

All in all, he was a very happy little guy. He had a wonderful time celebrating and celebrating and celebrating his fourth birthday. I just hope he doesn't remember this very well and expect something simular next year. Although, turning 5 is a great excuse to do it up big again.

Election Day in Oregon

The Games We Play

Most everyone we know is well aware of our struggle with Jayden's weight. He's only two weeks from turning 4 (Yes, can you believe he'll be four) and he still weighs that of a one/two year old, 25.5 pounds.

Now, we've tried everything to get this kid to eat and pack on the pounds. I have watched or read every story about what parents do that makes their kids obese and how to avoid it, then I go and impliment those same habits in hopes of seeing some weight gain. Don't let your kids eat/drink too much sugar...Jayden got juice several times a day in hopes it would prompt eating. That failed. Don't let you child snack through out the day...Jayden has his own snack bin in the pantry that he has free access to. Failed. Don't let them watch tv while eating because it distracts them and they eat more than they realize, usually empty calorie stuff...Jayden watched tv during meals. That one failed miserably because he was too distracted by Thomas the Tank Engine to think about eating and he ate less.

Recently we had him checked by his pediatrician and an Endocrinologist. Jayden had what's called a Wrist Age X-ray, normal. Then we went through, or should I say Tony went through a blood draw to have all his levels checked. That ordeal lasted one long hour with four separate pokes and two lab locations. All to find out that everything about Jayden is normal and on track. The peace of mind was well worth the tears.

So, leave it to Tony. He and Jayden worked out a reward system where if Jayden ate at least half if not all of each meal he would receive a smiley face on his "Cranky the Crane Meal Plan" chart. Once he had two smiley faces in each chart square, there were 21, he would have earned his Cranky the Crane. Each day had an opportunity for two or three smiley faces. This started out with such a bang. At first he was eating like a champ and then it happened. He asked us what he would "have" to eat of the meal in front of him and once we explained half, that's exactly what he ate and from then on that's all he would eat. What should have taken no more than 11 days took over a month but he finally earned Cranky.

The story should end there but, Jayden is too smart. He has a tricycle that he's had since he turned one. He has never, never pedaled that damn thing. He insists on pushing it along with his feet. I tell him he needs to pedal, he won't do it. I was convinced he just didn't know how. Then, Tony took him to a sporting goods store where he saw a big boy bike with training wheels. He promptly came home to tell me all about it and how he wanted it for his birthday. I told him he couldn't have it because he didn't pedal. I'm not kidding, he looked at me and said he wanted to go for a walk with me but that he would ride his tricycle. That kid pedaled all the way around the block without a bit of trouble! When we got home he told me that his birthday would be a good day to get his big boy bike.

What's My Name?

Anyone that has more than one sibling in their family knows about what I like to call the "combo-name". My family is plagued by them. There is the ever popular Ro-Jon (the combo of Roger and Jon), Jon-Mondo (that one is pretty self explanitory) and the most used, De-Annmarie (the combo of Deana and Annmarie). My poor cousin, I'm surprised she even knew her name was Annmarie rather than DeAnnmarie.

Now that we have two little guys in the house Tony is having a hard time keeping them straight. Of course I have had a time or two (or three) of confusion but Tony seems to have most of the blunders. He tries so hard to play it off. While talking to Landon, he'll call him Jayden and then he'll say something like "and Landon...". I can understand the confusion. In the moment you're trying to get someone, anyone's name out and we've been saying Jayden for just about 4 years now. However, what I don't understand is when he calls one of our boys Tiger, as in the cat?

A month into Landon's life now and doing well. He's gained over two pounds since coming home from the hospital. At this rate he'll pass Jayden's current weight before he hits 1! He's a wonderful little sleeper, just like his mom. He's obviously a great eater, something so new for us. And, just an all around great little guy with a very happy and content disposition which equates to very little crying...only when hungry.

Jayden is a wonderful big brother that is so in love with his little brother. He asked if Landon can sleep in his room with him that way he can get up in the night to feed him or offer the "blinkey" (I don't know where the "l" came from in the word binkey). If Landon cries you'll hear Jayden saying, "It's okay little buddy, no need to cry, I am here". I think they are just the cutest.

I for one am very happy we spaced our boys out. Jayden is aware and understanding and Landon comes at a time where with Jayden being so self reliant allows me time with him just as I had with Jayden. Life is good.

By the way, the two black and white photos just above...Top is Landon and Bottom is Jayden.

Happy Birthday Landon

On Monday, March 31, 2008 Michelle gave birth to Landon Beckett Coles. He weighs in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and measures 20.5 inches. Both Landon and mom are healthy and doing well.

His big brother Jayden got to hold Landon for the first time tonight. He loves Landon's "tiny piggies." Mom loves his little nose. Dad loves that he arrived on opening day for the Yankees (even though the game was rained out)....and I also love that he has his mom's cheeks.

We're posting just a few photos from today. Hopefully after a little sleep we'll be able to post some additional pictures. As you can imagine, we're all a little sleepy at the moment.

The Year Mommy Messed Up Easter

For months we had been planning on spending Easter with our friends Laurie, Mike and Kira. We had done this last year and the kids had a blast so we figured why mess with a good thing. Well, then I got sick...again! Yep, 10 days to go until the big delivery and I come down with another whammy of a cold.

Although Jayden sounded very disappointed with the announcement that we would be spending the day just the three of us, he seemed to have a good time. He and Tony hid the eggs (in the exact same spot the Easter Bunny had hid them) five or six times. The game came to end once Jayden had cracked four of the egss...then the game wasn't as much fun with just eight to find, in the exact same places over and over.

And a side note to the Easter Bunny (aka Mom) Jayden was none to happy to see that the Easter Bunny did not take the time to "urganize" the candy in his basket. Next year candy must be together by category.

So in the final week I am home "taking it easy" in an all out effort to get over this cold before the big day. Oh yeah and, since my doctor is out of town on vacation this week, trying to stay pregnant until Monday.

For Your Enjoyment...Death Metal ABCs

All Good on the Baby Front

Jayden accompanied Tony and I to my Ultrasound appointment on Monday to take a peek at his baby brother. They did the normal check on all the organs, good there. Checked to make sure he's still a boy, all good there. Heart looks and sounds good. They estimate his weight to be about 5.5 lbs which puts him the 60th percentile (that's the first time we've had a child above the 25th percentile!) The baby was practicing breathing which also might help explain the increase of hiccups he's been experiencing as he works out the kinks of learning to breath and coordinate with his diaphram. He even took a moment to "wave" at his big brother.

I had a check up with my doctor this morning. She is very happy with my progression and says everything is good. Now we just hope this baby cooperates with all the planning and doesn't come early.

We spent this weekend working on a few of those "nesting" projects I have on the never ending To-Do List. Jayden helped Tony fill a few nail holes and re-paint the wall in the baby's room. He also helped me paint the letters for his baby brother's name which are going up on the wall, just like we did for Jayden. Jay helped move our bedroom furniture around so we can bettter accomodate the extra furniture while the baby is in our room. And, we did all this while I battled the cold that Tony had last week which originated two weeks ago with Jayden. Nothing like doing it all.

Other than that, Spring has begun to arrive in the great Pacific Northwest. The crocuses that Jayden and I planted in November have come up and are in full bloom. The daffodils are working their way up. The birds have begun to return and on some mornings I wake up to the sounds of little chirps outside the windows (of course this was before I caught this cold and could actually hear things).

All in all, it's quiet on the Coles' front...some would call it the calm before the storm.