Tonight we are young...so let's set the world on fire, we can glow brighter, than the sun!

As you can see from the lack of posts, life has been pretty busy. I'm always thinking about the blog and am trying to embed every cute moment in my mind so I won't forget, but it all moves so fast these days. At times I wish I had a built in camera in my head so I could record it all. I want to soak up every cute moment, (even some of the not so cute moments), so I can look back and enjoy for a second time when I have a chance to breathe.

James and Thomas going for their first stroll in their wagon together. I remember when James got this as a Christmas gift, I thought "someday I'll be able to pull two around in there!"

Now, I'm not saying my photo albums and video library are not full of "moments" that I've managed to capture, (trust me, I have quite the collection), but it's those "in between" moments-the silent moments, when I can look over and watch as James stands like a little soldier thinking. Or the way he lines his cars up, and always has, or how he begs to pick out "one, two cars" for every road trip we take (and holds up his hands as if to say, I want one for each hand), or how he starts to ask to "watch a woovie (movie) for a "cuckle minutes" (couple minutes) about a mile away from home every day. I know I'll miss the way he asks for "ackle juice and snacks" every morning-even that is beginning to change, and today he asked correctly for "apple juice and snacks." For so long, I didn't want to correct it, and I know that's wrong. I just loved the innocence of this language he has developed. I want to remember that every night as I cuddled him in bed for a few minutes, he'd ask me to hold his hand. He'd hold my hand by his mouth and I could feel the soft air of each breath on my fingers until it finally slowed down and I knew he'd fallen asleep. I know someday he won't run to me when I come to pick him up at school, and so happily say "I love when you come to school to pick me up Mommy." Someday he'll be using every day of the week, instead of just Thursday-since apparently everything happens Thursday in James' book-"I'll come to your house Thursday," "I'll have yunch (lunch) at Gramma's on Thursday," "I go to school Thursday." Or when he finally realizes that a few minutes or hours ago isn't "yesterday." Before I know it, he'll clearly be telling me to "look" at everything-instead of "yook," and when he sits on the couch and asks for me to rub his feet or back, they won't be so soft and small. I know he's growing up, and there is not a darn thing I can do about it but cheer on every accomplishment, take as many pictures and videos as I can, and try to enjoy it all-even the tough stuff like his loopy episodes when he won't nap, how he kicks the door to let me know he's awake, (and continues to kick harder the longer it takes for me to make it to his room), the fact that he loves to be naked right now, (calls himself NAKED BOY), or the darn spitting habit he's picked up along the way.

Clean from his tubby, with a little help of some baby oil, the mowhawk at it's finest!

...and for Thomas-oh my Mr. Thomas. I feel like I blinked and he's already almost a year old. I thought James' first year of life was a blur, but somehow Thomas out did it. Those beautiful blue eyes and chubby cheeked smile have been the frosting on our cake. His giggles-they are priceless...especially when they are aimed at James. I've never seen a baby love to eat more than my little Tommy. He could eat all day long, (which makes me a little thankful that I went the bottle feeding route). He quickly picked up how to hold a bottle by himself, how to feed himself, and how to let us know he wants more. His sneaky ways keep Andy and I laughing-and James on his toes. James has a concentration level like none I've ever seen-which makes him an easy target. If we give James a cup of snacks and a cup of juice, if he doesn't keep one eye on Thomas, it will be stolen. Thomas is a thief-and he's good at it, (this is the only time I'll admit it and think that this is cute-and it better not go past stealing his brothers snacks and toys). At the sound of a beat of music his whole body starts dancing and he claps his hands so hard-he loves music. He does this cute little rock and his eyes twinkle when he dances. He gets little "smile wrinkles" next to his eyes-just like Andy. I've always loved the way Andy's eyes light up when he smiles-and Thomas inherited that from him. He crawls like a one-legged pirate, and sits on his little bum and goes in circles (Friends fans-he PIVOTS). He snuggles his whole body into me when he's tired, right under my chin, and lets me rock him as he falls asleep. He just recently hit the throwing stage, and lets us know he's angry by throwing and kicking his right leg like an angry leprechaun. I can't forget to mention his signature mowhawk. This mowhawk gets more attention than anything else. People always ask me if I purposly cut it like that or style it that way. It's all natural-and he wears it well! The rest of his hair can't quite catch up to his flowing mowhawk!

Brotherly giggles-they already make each other laugh harder than anyone else.

Together, this team of brothers is quite the duo-and as their mom, I truely believe they are the most amazing two boys any mom could have. They bonded almost immediately. James loved the big brother role, and I can see in Thomas' eyes, he couldn't have hand picked a better brother. Hearing James say, "Thomas is my best friend mommy," or hearing him suddenly panic when he realizes Thomas isn't in the car, (if they are separated), is just so cute. He already has an eye out for him. Thomas kicks his legs so hard and reaches for James at first sight each day-or when we pick James up from school or Mimi's house. Their reunion, after only being separated for a few hours, is adorable. Although James sometimes steals Thomas' toys from him, he is very good at "exchanging." He mastered the art of "if I want to play with that toy that Thomas has, I better find something cool to distract him with." It took a little trial and error, but he finally has it down-and Thomas for the most part is fine with it. James knows to giveThomas his pacifier, feed him a Gerber puff or yogurt drop, hand him his bottle, or even to turn on his crib radio when he cries in the morning, all to make Thomas happy. For months, Andy and I belly ached about having them share a bedroom, but it was a smooth, and incredibly easy transition. Thomas finally slept through the night from the first night sharing with James. James embraced his big boy bed after a trip to build-a-bear, (and is extremely proud of his new bed). He enjoys visiting his old crib, (no pun intended), when Thomas wakes up in the morning. He climbs back in and they play until he's ready for his "ackle juice and snacks." James beams with pride when I bring Thomas to Crayon College-James' preschool. He loves telling everyone about T-bird (as he calls Thomas).

Thomas is probably driving James crazy in this picture. He rides in the back, and will taunt James the whole time-making him giggle harder! I think he has my sense of humor!

Tonight, they had a "sing off" in the back seat. Both of them were going back and forth-making the same sound. This went on for a long time. Andy and I just sat in awe and watched. They were making the same sound-in the same tone and were cracking each other up. This brings me to the title of the post. "Tonight, we are young so let's set the world on fire, we could glow brighter, than the sun." This is their favorite song right now. I know it will change, but for now we listen to it over and over again. James knows all the words-and sings them loud and clear. Thomas has the tune down and sings his little heart out when it's on. In the car, James will usually reach over and hold Thomas' hand while they sing it to each other. This gets me every time...EVERY time. Looking at them, looking at eachother, with their happy faces "singing." I want to bottle up that happiness and hold it forever.

Thomas in action-James is distracted, concentrating on making that goofy face. Thomas has time to sneak in and steal some Easter candy!

It's a Potty!

Happy Potty Party to you

Happy Potty Party to you

You are a big boy now

Happy Potty party to you...

Somewhere between morning smiles, busy days, and goodnight hugs James became a big boy.

February 2011-James 1st introduction to the potty. He sat on it with clothes on.  After this, it sat for  6 months unused. 

I remember well the night I dropped James off at my in-laws house. I looked at him knowing he'd never look so small to me again. I was so right. When he came to visit me in the hospital the day after Thomas was born, he looked so big. His new haircut added to his "big boy" look, but he looked huge compared to my newborn. Thank goodness I had prepared myself for this. 

He almost instantly took on the role as a big brother. I didn't hype up Thomas' birth as much as the books told me to because I didn't want to overwhelm James, or stress him out. About a month or so before my due date, I started telling James I had a baby in my belly and his name was Thomas. James was aware of this new presence, but I'm sure he didn't quite know what to expect...neither did I.

I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised at how easily he transitioned into his new role. He knew Thomas was his. He would run to get Thomas' paci or bottle at the sound of a cry. He would make sure Thomas had his stuffed elephant with him every time we left the house. In the car, if Thomas started to stir, he would reach his little arm over to the elephant and pull its tail to make the music start. He would sing and play peek-a-boo to make Thomas look at him. In turn, Thomas fell in love with his big brother. It's hard to find a time when James is in the room with Thomas, that Thomas' eyes aren't on him. Before Thomas could smile, he would just stare. Once Thomas could smile, he would always share his biggest smiles and loudest giggles with his brother. They already have an unspoken language between them. They can just look at each other and start to giggle. I have loved watching their relationship blossom.

James, Auntie Coleen, and Thomas during one of James' first visits with Thomas. He was already acting like such a big boy and such a big help with his bottle!

I knew that I needed to start encouraging James to reach some milestones, but didn't want to rush him during this transition. I didn't want him to associate any changes in his life with Thomas' birth. I've let him stay in his crib, didn't take his paci away (although I always thought I'd break that habit by age 2), and most importantly I didn't push the potty scene. I let James enjoy any little bits of his "baby" self while he adjusted to his new, "BIG" role. 

Thomas' first day home. James was studying him and helping with his pacifier!

Paci for Thomas! Paci for James!

Once they were a whole 6 months into their lifelong relationship, I knew it was time to start pushing for some Big Boy behaviors. James had been using his pacifier for bed and in the car. The car was more of a selfish decision because it would keep him quiet for a car ride. Any mom knows how desperate you can be for some quiet time to get your thoughts straight. I started noticing that James wanted his paci more often though, and I knew that he was creating a bad habit. I knew it was time to go. I decided that throughout December, I'd talk to James about his magical paci's. I told him that he was a big boy now and they knew this. I prepared him for their magic act of disappearing. He was a little confused, and at times got frustrated and said "No mama! I don't want magic paci's," but I would tell him that magic paci's were cool. My first of many New Year's resolutions was to rid of the paci. New Years day came quickly. I sat there watching him getting ready for his nap, and I did it. I walked into the kitchen and took the scissors to the tips of all of his pacis. I didn't want to go back on my decision, so I made sure that there were no "survivors." I brought James up for his nap and with a shaky hand, gave him his "magical paci that had started to disappear." He was so confused and started whining. I wanted to cry with him. Eventually he put his head down and held his broken paci in his hand and went to sleep. He slept for 3hrs that day. I couldn't believe it. I didn't think I would be as lucky at bedtime, but to my surprise I was. He just asked to hold it in his hand. He told everyone about his magic paci and used it as some sort of bragging right. Within a week, he no longer asked for them. I was able to slip them into the rubbish and never look back. He's almost one month clean of the paci addiction. When I see old pictures of him sporting his paci, he looks like such a baby. I can't believe how quickly he adapted to this change. Although my quiet time is gone in the car, I've noticed how much clearer he is now talking and how many more words he is using. Apparently our car rides are good practice for him. Win!

James-all plugged up so I can have some quiet time in the car :)

One of his last nights with his pacifier cuddling Thomas by the Christmas tree!

His amazing ability to drop the paci habit got me thinking about potty training. I've listened to so much advice about training boys and how you should just wait until they are ready (which is around age 3 for them). James had started showing interest in the potty last September when I was on maternity leave. He would use it here and there but never showed full commitment and I wasn't going to push him. I wanted potty training to be as painless as possible for both him and me. I am planning on enrolling him in pre-school come April, so my goal has been to have him potty trained by then. I started telling James that he could go to school once he went on the potty and didn't need diapers anymore. I would have him finish the sentence, "James can go to school when..." and he would say "I go on the potty." I started coming up with potty songs and he'd sing along with me. This went on for a few weeks. Finally, he started showing lots of signs that he was ready. He would talk about the potty, showed interest in the undies I had bought him a while ago, and started going to the same spot (under the table) when he was going to the bathroom. I knew it was time. If he could take the time to go to the same spot every time he had to go, he could make that spot the bathroom. I gave myself a pep talk and got Andy and my mom on board with my decision to train. I didn't know what I was in for, but I knew I wanted support. 

A week before the training began, I told James that we would be having a potty party that weekend. For anyone that knows James well, you know he loves a good party. He is a party groupie. He's there to help anyone blow out a candle or to sing Happy Birthday at the top of his lungs. I knew a party would be a solid approach for this big step. I hyped the party up all week. I told him we'd wake up and put his undies on and we'd put the diapers away forever. I told him there would be prizes all day and once the weekend was over we'd have a cake at Gramma's house with everyone and sing "Happy Potty Party" to him (to be sung in the tune of Happy Birthday). He was thrilled. He told everyone about this potty party we were planning. He'd ask me about it during our conversations in the car each day. We'd sing the potty songs to prepare. He was ready.

His potty prize jars that were eventually filled with prizes and treats! Great bribery and he loves picking a reward each time he made it!

The morning of the potty party came. He woke up and we sang and cheered. We couldn't start all of the festivities right away because James and Thomas have a Saturday routine of going to Boston's with Pa and Coleen. They went out for their breakfast date and walk around the Plymouth waterfront, then came home around 11:30a.m. I put James in for a nap to make sure he was rested for his big afternoon. I had prepared big prize jars full of lollipops, colorful mini candy canes that looked like crayons, army men, matchbox cars, matchbox motorcycles, and other small toys. I wanted to make sure this jar was very tempting for a 2.5 year old. When he woke from his nap I went in cheering again. He proudly put on his underwear and help me tuck all of his diapers away. He went downstairs and did his superhero pose in front of Andy to show him his super cool Buzz Lightyear undies. We took deep breaths and watched some real magic unfold...

No accidents. From 2p.m.-9p.m. he had no accidents. I didn't have to prompt him to go, do any songs or dances, no potty entertainment, nothing. He went on with his daily routine (as well as Andy and me) and every once in a while we'd watch him dart by us and into the bathroom. Within a minute or so we'd hear, "I DID IT! I WENT ON THE POTTY!" This is not what I expected at all. I couldn't have dreamed of an easier potty training situation. I convinced myself it was beginners luck. At 9p.m. I put his pull up on (I'm not that confident), and put him to bed. 

Andy and I had kept our schedules clear for Sunday. James woke up and I put his underwear on right away. I started giving him lots of juice and water. I wanted him to have as much practice as possible. I think he broke some sort of potty record by going about 15 times before his nap time. Each time, he ran to the bathroom and went all by himself. I was upstairs putting laundry away when I heard news of his biggest accomplishment yet of his potty training journey..."I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID STINKIES ON THE POTTY ALL MYSELF!" I heard Andy get up from the couch. I ran down the stairs. He really did it. Our not so little boy anymore actually brought himself to the potty to do his business. He was so proud of himself. 

As promised, after his nap and a couple more trips to the potty, we put a pull up on to make our first trip out of the house to go buy him his potty party cake. We stopped at Walmart in Plymouth and got him a yellow monster cake (very appropriate), and made our way to Gramma's house. When we arrived, he was completely dry. I put his undies back on and we at dinner and played. About an hour into our visit, he said "Pee pee is coming!" He ran to the bathroom by himself and went. We all cheered for him, lit the candle on his potty party cake, and sang. You know your two year old is loved when his grandparents, cousin, uncle, and parents are all singing this ridiculous song to him super enthusiastically. He was beaming. He ate every last bit of his cake and played a little more. We packed him up, left his undies on, and drove home. When we got home, he was still dry. He went to the potty one last time before we tucked him in and said good-bye to his potty party weekend. 

Today he went to my moms house while I worked. I was wondering how he'd adjust to her house and his potty routine. He had one "small leak" in his pants before making it to the potty, but the rest of the day was successful. He napped in a pull up and woke up dry. I'm sure it won't be long until we can comfortably nap him in undies. James stats: 3 days of training, 1 accident, one  "leak." Not too bad if I do say so myself! :) 

My proud "Big Boy" and his potty party cake! 

Since he has been born, James has never ceased to amaze us. I have enjoyed every surprise he's given us, every smile he's brought us, and every bit of love he's shared with us.