Outside with the Boys

Wyatt loves being outside and when he is in the house somtimes he sits and stares out the window.  He will happily sit in the grass and look around.  Ruslan does not like being outside or at least he doesn't like being put down outside - the second he is set down on the ground he bursts into tears.

Last Saturday was such a beautiful day so I washed the winter grime away from the swings in the backyard and we took the boys outside for their first time on the swings.  They both loved it and had lots of fun - switching from laughing and kicking to relaxed.

After swing time we got out them in the stroller and went for a long walk.  Ruslan loved watching the people and the cars.  Wyatt just sat still and quiet and stared straight ahead.  Eventually they both fell asleep and we left them in the stroller when we got home and they slept another hour - all of that fresh air made the boys very sleepy.

11 Months with Puppies

Usually I get the best results from Wyatt, he is normally quick to smile and be silly.  He is sick this weekend -watery eyes, continual snot, and all around miserable (I am really hoping no ear infection).  Ruslan is starting to get the same symptons so we are wiping lots of noses and snuggling away tears.

I think this is one of the best puppy pictures from Ruslan this year - he is smiling and looking at me!

Then he had to slouch for a few minutes and be serious.

Wyatt was very sad - the Princess snow globe quieted his tears for a few minutes.

At some point they decided to both start clapping.

And then Wyatt had to do his favorite thing - pull Ruslan's ear.  And then Ruslan's ear and his own as well.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

But I'm Not Sleepy

Wyatt has never been a fan of nap time.  And since he started crawling, as soon as I put him in his crib for a nap he pops up and does anything but sleep.  At some point he just falls asleep - if he was sitting up when he falls asleep he ends up sleeping slumped down over his legs like this.

And he was playing with his crib aquarium or yelling for help through the crib bars, this happens.

Return of Bucket Baby

If you asked my mom to list her favorite pictures of Juliana as a baby - this one would be near the top of her list.

The set of buckets recently came out of storage for the boys to play with and after lunch today I decided to try and capture some pictures of the boys with the same bucket.  First up was Wyatt and he went about crawling around the room like nothing out of the ordinary was happening (just like the bunny ears).

He crawled toward Ruslan who seemed amused by the situation.

Then it was time for Ruslan to have a turn.  He inspected the bucket handle and then decided to crawl closer to me.

And then Wyatt noticed what was happening and made a sudden attack.

I don't know if Wyatt wanted the bucket again or if he was just doing his normal trying to grab Ruslan's ear.  Whatever the case, Ruslan was very upset...

A snuggle from Mommy and the lens cap made everything better.

Wyatt Needs a Fanny Pack

Both boys are constantly on the go.  And when Wyatt sets off across the room, he doesn't want to leave his toy behind so he transfers it from hand to mouth and off he goes. 

Containment

Gates are great when there is a responsible adult in the room, but there are occasions when you need maximum containment - and that's when we use the play yard.  This is left over from Juliana's baby time, I feel like we are finally getting our money's worth out of some of these larger purchases.

I rearranged the play area in our living room so all of Juliana's stuff is on one side and the play yard is on the other.  In the process, I got rid of lots of junk and little pieces.  Babyproofing when there is an older child in the house is so much more difficult than baby proofing for your first child.

The boys are generally happy in here for short time periods, so I try to only put them in there when necessary.  We keep some of their favorite toys in that space so they are always excited to get a chance to play with those toys.  Otherwise we try to give them lots of time to crawl across the room and back.

Crawling

Once the boys figured out the forward motion of crawling, they started getting around really fast.  They see something that they want on the other side of the room and race off to get it. They crawl over objects and each other to reach their destination.  Whenever I want Wyatt to crawl to me, I put the remote on the floor and he rushes to my side - he loves the remote and is always looking for a way to reach it.

I took this video in our kitchen Tuesday evening - the boys had just eaten dinner and were having some playtime before bed.  Enjoy the fish kisses from Ruslan.

Baby Gates are now in place at both entrances to the main living area - separating them from the kitchen, front hallway and both sets of stairs.  Both of these gates are flush with the floor, while the ones we used for Juliana had a gap at the bottom that the cats could squeeze under.  The cats are not happy about the latest change.  The baby gate at the top of the stairs is still in place from Juliana's toddler days, so we are in good shape with gates now.