Beanpole-Davis Style

So, I've already given you a report on Ben at 15 months-what he can do, what he can't.  However, those were only my observations, not those of a professional.  So, I had to add in a little update after we headed to the doctor for his well-child checkup to confirm just how brilliant and wonderful he is. 

Dr. Pickens didn't disappoint.  He said he was doing great developmentally, and all of his little parts checked out healthy-he was the picture of baby health!  Dr. Pickens did confirm that as always, Ben is teething again, getting in all four of his canines this time.  Poor kid!  Fortunately, after that he will actually have a full mouth for a while and not get any more teeth until he gets in the ones that Evan's working on now.  He's quite a toothy kid.

I knew vaccines would not be a high point of the appointment-Benny is such a drama king!  So, after they tried to bring us the wrong vaccination first, they brought the correct shots.  However, by that point Ben was wise to what was going on.  He was thrashing as we were trying to hold him down.  As the nurse exclaimed, "Wow he's strong!" he got his two shots in his little thighs.  As I said, he was not a happy camper.  Benny certainly can scream.

So, we learned that Benny was healthy, got his vaccinations, and we got his most recent weights and measures.  He is continuing on his trend of being long and lean for a Davis-skinny, but growing just as he should be. 

Here are his stats:

Height: 30 inches (10th percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 15 oz. (3rd percentile)

Head Circumference: 75th percentile

Little Swimmers

It's amazing that we've gotten to this point in the summer, and we haven't written more posts about the pool.  The boys and I have been spending so much time there this summer.  It's been brutally hot, so that was the best place to hide out as the sun beat down.  It's great to have the pool in our neighborhood, so we've been heading down there at least a couple times a week and then again most weekends.

At the beginning of the summer, Evan was not too comfortable with the water.  He wouldn't really get off the upper steps and was nervous about it all.  So, we decided that swimming lessons were in order.  Fortunately, there was a neighborhood swim team coach that taught swim lessons and was willing to take Evan on.  Miss Maddie was great!  When Evan arrived for the first lesson and screamed and fussed about kicking his legs on the first step, I thought that she would run.  But patiently, the told him that he couldn't get out of the activities, and eventually, he came around.  There were still the occasional battles, but she held her own, and gradually Evan got more and more comfortable.

Here we stand at the end of the summer, and Evan probably still couldn't be referred to as Michael Phelps, but he's come such a long way.  Now, when we get to the pool, he eagerly hops in and walks down the steps to the floor of the pool.  He can blow bubbles and splash around with confidence.  He'll even let you hold him on his back and get his head wet for a few seconds.  He'll jump off the steps on his own and jump off of the side while holding your hands.  Evan loves his little floaty.  He'll put it around his waist and is completely willing to kick around the whole pool on his own.  Today, we even went over to the deep end!  He paddled easily around the 8ft. water.  Then, he climbed the ladder to get out on his own, and scooted back into the water with his floaty completely on his own.  He even asked me not to hold his hands! 

Benny is getting used to the pool as well.  He usually starts off his swimming adventures in his little baby floaty.  He's content to sit in the floaty if he gets to chase his floating fish around the pool.  However, he eventually gets sick of the floaty.  Then, he divides his time between pushing a ball back and forth to his baby friends Kieran and Amelia, jumping in while holding mom's hands, and wandering around the edge of the pool.  Oh, who am I kidding, while he likes the water the spends most of the time at the pool wandering around the edge.  He loves playing on the chairs, wandering off to the gate, digging his fingers in any muddy and funky puddles he can find, or disrupting the bean bag game being played at the edge of the pool.  He's a little explorer.

At the beginning of the summer, I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle both boys at the pool on my own.  Now, as the summer winds down, I will definitely be sad to leave our little pool for the year.  Oh well, guess we'll have to make our way to some indoor pools until the weather warms up again!

Hide and Seek

So, this week, our little family has been introduced to hide and seek, and now it has become a little bit of an obsession.  When we were having a little play time after dinner before bath and bedtime one night last week, Ian decided to show the kids how to play hide and seek.  So, he told Evan how to count and showed them both how to search, and the games began. 

The first time, Evan counted and Ian hid and he choose on top of the washing machine as his spot.  As soon as Evan found him, he thought hide and seek was the coolest game in the world.  Here's how a typical hide and seek round will go.  Evan will beg to have yet another turn hiding, so Ian will start counting.  Then, he'll run around screaming excitedly not being able to figure out where to hide until he sees me (doing dishes or whatever chore I'm up to).  He will ask me to help him hide, so I'll hurridely find a place like under the table or behind the blankets in the corner and stick him there.  At first, when Ian started searching, Evan would immediately pop out of his hiding place and say "here I am!"  Now, he's a little better, he'll usually stay hiding until Ian finds him. 

While Evan is hiding, Ben will actually do a pretty good job searching.  Ian and Evan have been given away several times by Ben or Ripple lifting up blankets or sniffing around where they're hidden.  It's so much fun to see the boys all having so much fun.  We have pretty much run out of hiding spaces downstairs, so we'll have to branch out and start playing in other places.  Who know's where Evan will hide next?

 (While these aren't pictures from hide and seek.  I bet Evan would think under that chair was a great place to hide.)

 (Evan rocks on the chair at the mall.)

(Benny thinks all of this playing is hard work.  He better stop and relax for a bit.)

Ben's First Haircut

So, Ian told me it was time to get Ben his first haircut.  At first, I didn't agree.  He wasn't as old as Evan was when he got his first haircut, and I didn't think his hair was that long.  However, dinner was a different story.  Most days he would take his food and smear it into the blond wisps of hair that were inching closer and closer to his eyes.  Then, last week, I took Evan to get his haircut.  Seeing Evan with a clean short haircut made me realize that Ben's was looking a bit long.  I loved the platinum blond mop that he had on his head, but it was about to start getting in his eyes.

So, we went to Peek-a-Doo.  That's where we took Evan to get his first haircut.  They have little cars, trains, and airplanes that they can sit in while they get their haircut, TV's to watch, a play area, and little toys you can buy for them as treats.  Needless to say, this place is a splurge that I'm only willing to do for the first haircut.  (Plus, they have a first haircut package where you get before and after pictures as well as a little baggy of their hair.)

We got there and put Benny in his little airplane chair.  He didn't quite know what was going on, but he was happy until they tried to put the cape on him.  He fussed about that, but once we got it on and freed his hands, he was okay.  The actual haircut didn't seem to bother him.  He sat happily in the chair and let her snip away.  Granted, there wasn't too much actual snipping to be done, but he didn't mind.  Towards the end he started to get a little fussy and we quickly solved that problem with his first lollipop ever.  He thought that was pretty fantastic.

(Benny's in his chair ready for his haircut.)

(Here it goes.)

(What is going on?)

 (A treat for the good boy.)

So, now I have two big boys with big boy haircuts.  Actually, most people can't tell that Benny even got his haircut, but his mommy can tell.  It no longer reaches to his eyes, and thankfully we've been getting through a few meals without dinner ending up in his hair!

(before)

 

(after)

Fully Potty Trained

 
So, the moment that we thought would never arrive is finally here.  We have a fully potty trained little three year old!  It has certainly been a long road since we gave him that little potty for Christmas when he was 18 months old, but we're so proud of our big boy. 

By the beginning of this summer, Evan wasn't wearing diapers at all.  He even slept in his "big boy pants" and stayed clean and dry most nights.  However, there was something about going #2 that he couldn't overcome.  Whenever he had to poop, he would ask for a diaper and go into the bathroom and use the diaper.  He had all the skills to use the potty, but he was completely unwilling to try without the diaper.  We were stuck.  He would throw a tantrum whenever we would ask him to try to go without the diaper.  We were worried that he would be 20 years old and still asking for a diaper.

So, being the good parents that we are, we decided to take advantage of a rare opportunity when it came our way.  Evan had a bit of a tummy ache, so he had to use the bathroom quickly at times.  I decided this was the time to pull the diapers away.  This way, he had no choice but to use the potty when he had to go.  He couldn't wait for the diapers. 

At first he wasn't happy with me, but now, a few days later, his tummy is feeling better, and he's decided that maybe going #2 on the potty isn't quite so bad after all.  In fact, he heads in there as often as he can.  He is soooo proud of himself, it's fun to see.  He got a new Buzz Lightyear toy to commemorate the big occasion, and he hasn't put it down much since.  He has told everyone he comes in contact with whether it be at the mall or the grocery store that he is now "fully potty trained".  In fact, the cashier at the grocery store helped us check out two different times and Evan had to tell her both times.  She, of course, remembered us and rewarded Evan with some stickers in honor of the big occasion.

Unfortunately, there have been some unanticipated consequences of our newfound potty confidence.  For one thing, we can't get him out of the bathroom.  In addition, he wants to go potty wherever he goes.  He even tried out our air conditioning vent in our house...yuck!  We now head out to a park and he wants to head to a corner and pull down his pants.  I feel like I'm the pants police!  Oh well, I guess the novelty will wear off soon.

I'm so proud of Evan!  Now he heads off to preschool in a couple of weeks as a really big boy!  What will our little boy figure out next!

15 Month old Whirlwind

So, it's been a week since little Benjamin turned 15 months old.  However, I've waited to write this post because I don't even know where to start.  Benny is quite indescribable, but I'll give it a shot.  We always said that we know exactly where Evan's personality came from.  He got his stubbornness from his mother and his cautious nature from both of his parents.  Benny, however, we don't know where on earth he came from, but it's certainly fun watching what kind of little personality he's beginning to have. 

At 15 months Ben's communication is really taking off.  He can understand most of what you say to him and he's starting to be able to say some things back to you.  Currently, he has a few words including "Bow wow", "car", and definitely "nooooo".  He has this strange habit of saying really big words once to someone and then never repeating them again.  Everyone will tell me things that he's said, and then I'll never get to hear them.  He can also follow little commands.  For example, it you tell him to go into the living room and get a truck, he can do it. 

Benny is quite the caretaker.  He loves any little stuffed animal or doll.  He is always carrying around some stuffed animal.  He also will take his stuffed animal up to a bottle or snack, make a little slurping sound and pretend they are eating.  It's about the cutest thing ever!

Our little 15 month old is definitely up and moving.  He loves to walk and run.  However, he doesn't have a lot of sense, so you have to watch every minute to make sure that he's not getting into something like the toilet, dog bowls, or climbing the stairs.  Walking has also given him the ability to find me wherever I am in the house, lift his little arms up, and grunt and fuss at me until I pick him up.  Needless to say, cooking breakfast, lunch, or dinner has gotten much more difficult. 

Ben is turning into quite the little boy.  It's great to see him interacting with his brother and all of his little friends.  I can't wait to see what he does next, although I don't know if we're ready for it!

Mugshots

We couldn't leave the beach without some obligatory family shots.  So, we headed down to the boardwalk on the last day we were there and did a little posing.  We confirmed that toddler photography is difficult, but I thought we got some really great shots of everyone.  A great way to remember a great trip!

 (Grandma and her babies-There might be a little bit of family resemblance.)

 (Grandma and Grandpa with their boys.)

 (Our little family)

 (The three cousins-and Claude the gator)

 (Sisters!)

(The Mhire Family-Jack requested Claude in the photograph.)

 

(The whole Bitler crew-love you guys!)

There was more to the beach than just sand...

While we all had a great time at the beach in beautiful Gulf Shores, AL, we also did a few other things on our vacation.  Since we all live in different states miles away from each other,we all had a great time just being together no matter what we were doing.  Our non-beach time included a little swimming at the pool and relaxing, and like all Bitler gatherings there was a great deal of eating, drinking, and just having fun!

I love our crazy family, and I loved having the time to spend together.  While we don't get to see each other as often as we like, every time we do get together we are reminded how much we love each other and how we can't wait to see each other again!

 (Hanging out in the water was always fun!)

(Near the pool was also a great spot for some relaxing!)

(Some of us wanted to do more than relax...the boys wore themselves out with a little scuba diving!)

(We went out to dinner one night...a great chance to dress up and head out!)

(While Benny looks cute, I don't think he should have grabbed the croc there!)

(Aunt Karen also joined in on the festivities.)

(There was cooking...)

 (...and eating...)

 (...and drinking...)

(...and more drinking!)

 (But the best part was all the hanging out that we got to do as a family.)

 (There were lots of hugs.)

 (Lots of smiles.)

(and a little bit of of computing)

(It was all a little bit tiring, but what a wonderful trip!)

Beach Time

Now here's what everyone's been waiting for, what everyone is expecting on a beach vacation: the actual beach!  Our little family headed down to the beach once or twice a day for a little fun in the sun.  Although it was a bit hot, once we got down to the ocean, there was a nice breeze and the ocean was beautifully calm.  We had our tent when everyone needed shade, the sand for castle building, and the ocean for lounging and wildlife watching.

Our usual beach activities usually went as follows.  Half the crew would drive town to the beach in the golf cart with a wheelbarrow in tow.  The other half would walk and meet us there.  Then we would head down to the ocean and take a look.  We would play in the sand, find some seashells, dig in the sand, or build some castles.  Then, when we would start to get hot we would head to the ocean.  Or in Jack's case, he would immediately head for the ocean as soon as he saw it and barrel in head first, life jacket or not.  He loved the water.  Evan on the other hand was a bit more cautious, but he would let us pick him up and take him out into the water so he could watch the crab holes and fishies nibbling at our toes.  Benny was somewhere in between.  His true love was when someone would build a pool of water on the sand he could grub around in.  We had one future sailor, one future zoologist, and one future mud wrestler. 

(Our ride to the beach)

(Evan was happy to arrive at the beach.)

(Ben loved the sticks at the beach.)

(The boys are ready to explore.)

(Jack was a bit hungry for some sand.)

(My two little digger crabs.)

(Great-Grandma Dot and Aunt Karen watch the ocean.)

(A whole family of beach bunnies.)

After our playtime in the water, the boys would start to tire out.  Then, one by one they would head up to the tent for a little snack in the shade.  The adults liked this relaxing time to chat as well.  We would spread out a blanket and watch it be covered with goldfish and sand, and relax.  After that there was usually a little more playing and getting dirty. 

(Audra finds a way to make the beach even more comfy.)

(Ben takes a little time out.)

(Jack takes a break too.)

(Ben and Evan face off over a drink.)

Once we were all good and tired and covered in sand and salt water, we would trek back up the beach and head up to the pool for a little rinse off and cool down.  What a great way to spend a week!

 

 (Grandma and I take a walk on the sand.)

 (Sisters and their boys)

(Mom and her girls)