Big Boy Bed!

So here's the story- parents of toddlers may find this interesting especially if you're considering moving your child to a big bed or toddler bed, others, just enjoy the pics.

So yesterday I was sick and basically laid on the couch. Anthony came home from work early so he could try and be here for when the boys woke up- (Isaiah sleeps from 11:00-3:00 and Isaac from 12:00 to 2:30, 3:00, or a few times even 4:00!)

So, when I woke up to Isaac playing the piano I figured my dad had just gotten him out of his bed before he left or Anthony had come home.

Because Isaac has been in this bed...I wondered how he had gotten out. We LOVE Phil&Ted's. Any new parents out there or parents sick of their baby gear should check out this website. It's like these people have kids so they make stuff that works, and then their wives chime in and say, "Don't make it look dorky." So there's my promo... back to the story...

Well, while at Disney World last week staying in a hotel, I pushed Isaac while he was in the bed and something snapped. (we have an older version than the one above) It still works fine but we talked then about maybe going ahead and moving Isaac into a big bed. We're hoping to get both boys sleeping in the same room before we go back overseas...actually we'd like to have it done before Christmas even and we've gotten a good start!

...Isaac was on the piano... When I realized Anthony wasn't home yet (2:30pm) I called Daddy to see if he had taken Isaac out of the bed. He hadn't. That meant he somehow got out on his own.

When Anthony got home he did a little test...
He put Isaac in his travel bed (which we just used all the time) and immediately Isaac started pushing/leaning on it and it tipped over.

So we just decided yesterday that now was the time to go to the big boy bed.
We bought the safety rails, let Isaac help us install them, then took out his travel bed with him watching. All the while telling him that he was going to sleep in his big boy bed from now on.

We stuck to the normal bedtime routine. Books, shut the door & turn out the lights (he loves to do this), hugs while praying, a kiss and then lay down.

That's when the crying started.

We just determined that he was going to learn that he was to stay in his new big bed and not get out.

He got up and out and opened the door to his room. We told him if he did it again, we were going to spank him and that he was to lay down and go to sleep.

He got up. We spanked him. Laid him back down. Told him not to get up and to go to sleep.

He got up again probably 5 more times. We only spanked him if we had told him we would before hand. (I think he got 3) Eventually we heard no noise from the baby monitor. We decided we'd just let him get into a deep sleep and then move him back to the bed if he had gone to sleep on the floor or something. He only actually left his room the first time, so the fact that he was even staying in the room was great! (No wandering about the house at night!)

When we went back to check an hour later or so, this is what we found.Asleep in his big boy bed!!! (If you click on the photo maybe you can see his little striped rainbow bootie poking up. He's laying horizontally across the bed towards the foot) And that's where he stayed until 6:50 this morning!

Here's him this morning and I took a few pictures praising him for being a big boy and sleeping there. He cheesed it up for the camera and I think he understood and was proud.Then came nap-time today.

It was basically the same routine. There were tears. Only it was shorter. Last night it was about 25 minutes and today it was about 20 minutes. Here he is about 45 minutes after going to sleep. I think he's sleeping horizontally because that's how his travel bed was positioned down in front of the foot of his bed. I guess we'll work later on sleeping with his head at the head of the bed! (Update: Wrote this while he was napping...He slept nearly 2 and a half hours! Woke up at 2:40)
Anthony and I have a bet going. I think by Saturday night he'll go to bed with no fussing and Anthony thinks it'll be Monday. But we're sticking to it and not turning back even if it takes longer!

We'll have to see. (and for now, we're saving up to get the new "Traveller" from Phil&Ted's so Isaiah will have somewhere to sleep during all our travels (and at home too!)

Homemade Treat Holder

The last couple of weeks I've really noticed a very creative side of Isaac. I've said to Anthony several times, "Wait. Lets just see what he does." when Isaac looks like he's headed to do something he's not supposed to do or is just plain odd.

So. As a crafty kid myself, I figured it might be fun for Isaac to make his own Treat bucket for Halloween. I found some foam pumpkin and leaf stickers at Walmart and did an Easter-basket-esque rendition for his trick-or-treating purposes. He keeps finding the empty milk jugs beside the trashcan and carries them around the house... so I figured it wouldn't be a stretch for him to have fun with this little project.

Here in picture form is our creative morning. I put the camera on 10-second delay for some of them. Some of them are blurry... but fun nonetheless!
Washing the jug out. He particularly enjoyed turning the faucet on and off.Then came decorating with marker after I wrote his name on it...
Then naturally here's me rushing to wipe off the sharpie marker from the counter-top. (No worries, I got to it quick enough. Who's idea was it to give the 1 year old a permanent marker anyway?!)
To try and keep him focused on sticking the stickers to the jug, I tried putting them on him... but that just inspired him to try other things with the stickers instead! :)
Like for instance... He put a leaf on top of the pumpkin stem several times...He put the stickers inside the jug (which really makes perfect sense!) and then dump them back out again...And of course, he danced on them. He'd get them stuck to his feet then sit down, pull his foot up and look at the bottom of his foot at them. :)

The finished product looked great! Can't wait to see how he does trick-or-treating!

Isaac & Apples

This is how Isaac eats apples. Core and all.When he finally got done with this one I took the stem from between his thumb and forefinger:)

Isaiah is 1 Month Old!

I can't believe it's already been a month! Our miniest-man is so awesome. He is so snuggly and sweet...Anthony and I are both 2nd/middle children so we assume it's no wonder he's as smart and adorable as he is. ;) ;) I decided to take an idea I got from my friend Andrea (who I think got it from Annie...and this makes twice today I referenced Annie in a blog post:) Anyway... the idea is to take a picture with a stuffed animal each month to watch how he grows. I couldn't decide which animal to use. Conrad the toucan or my old koala. We'll probably go with the koala because my favorite picture was with it and because Conrad is technically Isaac's. Here's a couple more just because.


And also just because... we went to Disney the other night for dinner (I know right?) Here is Isaiah thoroughly enjoying Peter Pan's Flight. I need to find it, but this picture (particularly the blur) is remniscent of the picture we took of Micheal Jackson waaaaay back 20 years ago on my 8th birthday at this very spot. Micheal was blurry-er and it was taken with film. Ahhh, memories.

Happy 1 Month sweet boy!

Photo Ketchup

The Rivers boys have had a busy month... one was even born in the last month so he's definitely come across some milestones! We are adjusting to 2 and I think its going pretty well so far. Luckily children aren't born walking so there's a bit of a grace period in working the 2nd kid into full activity mode!Gettin' pretty good at the sidewalk chalk, huh?
Our church family threw us a baby shower. Isaiah slept the whole time but this picture of Isaac is just too cute not share!
When the "cold front" came through a few days ago we went to the park with my sister and the other Diaz kids. It was a great, shady little park and the play gyms were really neat! Isaac LOVES slides. He went down them all by himself! (and they were pretty tall!)
It was a mass of fun and busyness. See Emmett tucked away in Heather's sling? :)
See? Big boy slide. There's an orange one in the corner of this picture that starts at the same height as the green one...Isaac climbed all the way up and slid all the way down by himself!
Isaiah's been doing a lot of getting cuter and sleeping. :)
While Isaac has learned several new words in the past week. "Kitty Cat" is one he's been saying for a few weeks now... he is always looking for opportunities to pet the cats. He's gotten "popped" a couple times by them, but he's relentless and still likes them anyway.
So funny. This is how he usually creeps up to pet the kitties. He goes real slow and usually duck walks then only gets one head pat in until the cat walks off.

Requisite spiky shampoo hair photo:)
His little bum is minimal in this one...so I had to show how he's "swimming" in his tub.
Lots of cousin time. Kaelyn and Jeremiah play football...er...soccer. Here's Isaac at one of Jeremiah's practices with Kaelyn.
Isaiah also got to meet the rest of his cousins last week when we went to Hollywood Studios for his Aunt Jen's birthday. Katie was pretty excited about him... once she even fell out of her stroller in an effort to try and get to Isaiah quickly when he started crying in his stroller! Ha!
Hollywood Studios- September 27th- Happy Birthday Jennifer!
Again...Isaiah just gets cuter and cuter!

Brothers

We've been asked several times how Isaac is handling his new little brother's sudden and continued presence. We're happy to say Isaac LOVES his little brother. He doesn't talk much, but I really think I keep hearing him say, "ee-say-uh" when he's near Isaiah. Nothing like a kid who can't manage to say "up" but is rolling out 3-syllable names!

Isaac has grown in his love and interest in Isaiah. At first he only paid attention to him when he squeaked or cried...but quickly moved to offering him bottles and rocking his carrier if he fussed while in it...
Now he's interested in him all the time. Isaac loves to give Isaiah "hugs"...which is him putting his head on whatever it is he's hugging...for Isaiah it's usually his tummy.Isaac is also big on touching his head.This picture is for you April! The boys in their double (but oh so pushable and compact) stroller.

Isaac loves peeking over the edge of the crib to see what Zay is up to...

And nothing shows brotherly love like a video!