all things ETHAN & OWEN : 2 years

Two two year olds.  Sigh.  I can't believe they're two.  I can't believe I don't have a head full of gray hair.  I love this age;  independence shinning through., excitement everywhere, and kisses still heal boo boos.  These boys are full of love and happiness.  They fight like brothers do and both would follow Ryan right off a bridge.  And they constantly challenge me. 

Ethan
29 pounds 8 ounces (60th %)
37 inches (99%)

Owen
27 pounds 8 ounces (40th %)
36 1/4 inches (90th %)

I swear they appear to have a 2 inch height difference, but she measured twice, so there you have it.  Optical illusion at its best I suppose.  As for the 2 pound weight difference, well, combine it with the fact that Ethan is dead weight and it feels more like a 20 pound difference. 

They both wear 2T's for the most part.  Though they require a 3T in a few things.

Ethan
~ Loves to climb and jump.  And he's pretty coordinated, for a 2 year old.  In fact, he shows big brother a thing or two on the playground.  He can even ride Ryan's scooter. Braking, however, appears to be a concept lost on a 2 year old.

Climb a tree?  Sure.  Climb higher than Ryan.  Check.  Cause moms heart to skip a beat on a regular basis?  Check. 

~ I feel very fortunate that all 3 boys play well together.  They all look out for one another.  But Ethan and Ryan have a special bond.  They pal around like best buds.  I think it's because Ethan, unlike Owen, will follow Ryan anywhere.

~ He's a big eater.  Will try anything once.  And, just like his mama, he LOVES desert!

~ He's loud.  I know, most toddlers are, but this is different.  His volume is seriously higher than normal.  And when he cries it amplifies.  To make matters worse, he screams when he wants, well, anything.  Like in the car when he sees a school bus, he screams 'Maaamaaa' as loud as possible, I respond and he says, in his normal (but loud) voice, 'bus'.  If I didn't know better I'd think he was screaming to tell me his arm fell off or his brother fell out of the car.  Sometimes when there's true urgency, like when he sees a dump truck or a cat, he will put his hands on his cheeks, Home Alone style, when he screams.   His middle name should be 'Dramatic'.

~ He's jumped out of his crib twice and managed to get into Owens crib twice.  The bedtime/naptime fun doesn't end here.  Nope.  He's taken to taking his sheets off the bed, taking his PJs off, and best yet, taking his diapers off.  And what's better than learning new tricks?  Teaching them to your brother, that's what!

~ He's the emotional one.  He'll stop to give hugs or sloppy kisses at random or on request.  I love it!  On the other end of the emotional spectrum, he can fall apart on the drop of a dime.  Tell him 'no' and he might melt down for 5 minutes.  I have three little guys and he is by far more irrational when he hears the word 'no'. 

~ He loves to watch PBS's Cat in the Hat.

~ When we are getting everyone strapped in their carseats Ethan always tells the driver (Chris or myself) to 'wait, wait, wait' for the other person (me or Nonna) to get in the car or in their seat.  As if we would forget and drive off without them!

~ He's more verbal than his twin.  And he loves to say 'bye' to everyone, everything, even the water going down the sink.

 

Owen
~ He responds to 'no' completely different than Ethan.  Instead of melting down, he acts stoic.  Gives me the shifty eyes.  You know, where his head doesn't move but his eyes do.  Its almost as if he's acting as if he's invisible.  Now take a toy from the boy and stoic he is not.  He'll knock you down to get it back. 

~ It's hard to assess his coordination because he has a super coordinated brother for comparison.  So, I'll do just that and compare.  Owen is not the coordinated one.  He walks off steps as if he has no depth perception whatsoever.  He lags behind Ethan's gross motor skills on the playground but I think he's completely normal for his age.  He's not afraid to follow his brothers.  It's me who's afraid!

~ He likes to collect sticks and leaves and especially rocks.  And consequently I like to wash and dry rocks with our laundry. 

~ He'll watch TV a bit, but he's much less interested than his brothers. 

~ He's loves trains.  And bugs, worms, and lizards.

~ Owen is so mischievous.  I know all 2 year olds are but this kid is seriously sneaky. 

 

~ Both of them love the Llama llama book series.

~ He is the first to refuse to sit in time out.  The other 2 stay put.  Owen, not so much.  I end up having to sit with him.  He also refuses to apologize (a must in our house after hitting, biting, etc.).  Can we say stubborn?

~ He's got a lot to say.  Mostly it sounds Chinese. 

~ He doesn't give kisses and hugs as freely as his brothers.  But he's recently perfected the tight squeeze, complete with sound effects, when hugging.  And he loves to sit in my lap to watch TV or read books.  Gosh, writing this just reminds me how super sweet he is.

~ He is a little mama.  He loves to help.  He'll pass out sippy cups, put things in the recycling or trash, bring me a tissue, etc.  And he takes it upon himself to keep his brothers in order.  He often puts his hand up and says 'stop' or 'no, no, no'.

~ All the boys love Audra but Owen is the most infatuated with her.  He lights up when she enters a room, he loves to hug, kiss, and hold her.  It's pure sweetness.

 

 

 

~ These boys are 2 of the 3 most loved boys in all the world!

A Princess is Born

Audra Marie Hayes

 

February 3, 2014

7 pounds 13 ounces

20.5 inches

 

 

Born at 11:10am via a scheduled repeat C-section.  Despite the hospital running a bit behind, everything went smoothly.  She was placed on my chest immediately at birth.  She looked right at me and I knew she was perfect.  Love at first sight.  After a few minutes the nurse took her to the warming table to assess her and then she rode with me to our room. 

 

She instantly did a good job breastfeeding.  Though low supply soon roared his ugly head, but that's a story for a later date.  The worse part of recovering from this C-section, and the last, was the itching.  I know right, of all things, but it's true.  I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out.  It lasted about 24 hours, which felt like a week. 

 

Otherwise the hospitalization was quite uneventful.  She was magnificent.  Time alone with her in the hospital was quite peaceful, at least compared with what was to come at home!  Chris went back to work the following day but stayed with us overnight (he was saving his time off for when she came home). 

 

Lastly, I'd like to point out that at the time this is being written Audra is nearly 4 months old.  Let's just say 4 kids under 4 leaves little time for, well, much!

 

Welcome to the world Audra Marie.  You are certainly the most loved little girl in all the world.