Halloween

I was very surprised to find out that Seth actually had his own ideas for Halloween. Our lives the past few months have been all about sharks so why should Halloween be any different? He has been so excited to wear his costume and was the cutest great white out there.

We started off the celebration by carving our pumpkin. We showed him many easy smiley faces and almost convinced him to let us do a bat but last minute he said "Mommy, I just really want a shark" Good thing Brandon is good with knives.

John was so great being up late. He didn't cry at all even though you could tell all he wanted was his crib. He was the cutest little giraffe.

We took the boys to a pumpkin patch, Seth LOVED it, John not so much. He is so sensitive and there were too many strangers.

This is how John snuggles, this and sucking his thumb are how he comforts himself.

And today, we took the boys out to get some good pictures of their costumes since we were so busy on the actual halloween day that it got dark before we got our pictures.

I was so proud of Seth for only pretending to bite his brother.

 Of course we had to get a shark on a scooter picture.

Then we went on an evening walk to the beach and Seth wanted to keep his costume on. We got lots of smiles on the trail and one lady even asked to take his picture.

Oh, and our ward trunk or treat was last weekend and I tried something fun for the car.

Three to One: The boys take over!

I was sure John would be early, I had been feeling contractions for weeks and my doctor even told me to stop exercising and take it easy but at 38 weeks I was still pregnant. My doctor had been worried about John because of how small I was so she did an ultrasound and said he was much too small. A week later he still didn't seem to be growing so she scheduled an inducement. On May 13 little John was born but he wasn't so little. At 7 lbs 5oz and 20.5 inches he was the perfect size.

We had talked about a few names but Brandon could never decide. It didn't help that, in his words, "every time I remember to think about it, I can't remember the choices". In the end we decided on John Phillip. My maiden name is Johnson plus my maternal grandfather's name was John and Brandon's great-grandfather was named John. Brandon's dad is named Kent Phillip and it is a name I've always loved. His nicknames are Johno and baby john. Coincidentally, Seth called his brother Jack my entire pregnancy and that's what brandon's great-Grandpa and grandpa were both called. I later found out that my grandpa was also called Jack. So far only one person calls him that though.

Seth was really shy of his brother at first, I think seeing me in a hospital bed with a strange baby was a bit scary but after about 10 minutes to warm up he was enthralled with his baby brother. Since then he has only fallen more and more in love. If John spits up and I don't notice, Seth will run and get a burp rag to clean it up and wipe John's chin. He also gets really upset if we go anywhere and leave John home with dad.

At first John was really struggling to eat. He would fuss and bite and grunt and groan. He had a rash all over his face, head, and neck and his poop was not healthy. It was sad to see him so uncomfortable, hard on our nerves to hear him cry so much, and very painful for me. Finally I tried eliminating certain foods from my diet and after a week the difference was incredible. He wasn't fussing at all and was only grunting and groaning right after eating. He stopped biting and began to get more food, which also means he got more sleep. I've found that if I avoid eating corn, peas, broccoli, onions, peppers, curry, pineapple, tomatoes, citrus in general, dairy and anything spicy he is the happiest and most content baby around. He has recently started sleeping until 4 or 5 am (occasionally all the way to 6am). He naps fairly well but usually fights his evening nap. Most of the time John falls asleep on his own in his bassinet (THANK YOU BABYWISE!!)

All in all I am really loving this two children thing! I love watching the boys interact and knowing they will always have each other. I love feeling busy and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment in teaching my children. On that note, Seth recently learned almost all his letters and their sounds. He is also being re-evaluated in speech therapy because he is doing SO well they think he might be ready to graduate. We are so proud of him.

Here is to our very animated, curious, easily distracted and talkative almost three month old.

Seth Turns Two

So I wrote a really long post about how awesome my kid is. Talked about his developments and talents and favorites. Then I came to my senses. Nobody but his grandparents and me want to read that so instead I'm doing a photo tribute. Feel free to read the captions for more info or just scroll through to see how Seth has grown.

January 18, 2013

6 months old

January 2014, one year old

February 2014, Seth starts really advancing physically and begins climbing EVERYTHING. He even chipped a tooth and split his lip climbing and then falling off a chain link fence.

March 2014, Seth loves water. The beach, pool, hose. A favorite spring activity was washing the car. It was so hot that we did it almost weekly.

April 2014, We got a bike seat for Seth and he loves it. He also loves helping daddy with anything that involves tools.

May 2014, Seth is such a ham. He loves attention and will do something repeatedly if it gets a good reaction. He is such a funny kid, it's hard not to sit and watch him. This is Seth using a hole as a comfy couch outside of the Temple at his uncles wedding. He loves to put his arms behind his head and relax.

June2014, Seth loves friends. He went through a stage at this time when we were worried because his way of making a friend was to tackle or push. He was being friendly but it didn't come across that way. Luckily he outgrew it and has learned to wave and say "hi" instead.

July 2014, Grandma and Grandpa took Seth to Disneyland. His favorite ride was the merry-go-round and he loved the nick jr. puppet show. 

August 2014, Seth is the happiest most fun kid around. He loves to play, interact and finally likes sweets. Yes, it took 18 months for him to be willing to try dessert! He also started speech around this time, loves going to mommy and me school, and lights up everyone's life.

September 2014, Back to mommy and me school and Seth is in heaven. He loves painting and playing with puzzles best.

October 2014, Seth was the cutest Mr. Fredrickson for halloween. He is starting to speak and loves animal sounds.

November 2014, Seth has developed an interest in babies now that he has cousins. He is also VERY excited for his own little brother to arrive. He always blesses baby in his prayers and is so gentle. He is also obsessed with Thomas the train and loves his train tracks.

December 2014, Seth is talking a lot now. He still only asks for things (doesn't share thoughts) but he understands everything. He loves hugs and interacting. He is very independent and insists on walking everywhere. He also likes to choose his own clothes. Seth got really good at boogie boarding while we were in Puerto Rico.

January 2015, Seth turned two! I can't believe it. His favorite toys are trains and trucks and his favorite activity is jumping. He can count to five, say his name (neh) and if you ask him how old he is he would proudly say "two". He started using names this week and knows the letter "S". Seth is 36.5 inches and 30.5 lbs, that makes him half an inch shorter than 2 year old Brandon and 3.5lbs lighter.

He gives joy to all who know him

Happy Birthday Seth