Don't Stop This Train

Paxton has had a very difficult time nursing this week...he just could not latch on properly and he was getting frustrated, I was getting frustrated and it was taking a good hour just to get a pretty crummy feeding in. Plus I still have a very active and attention needing two year old whom I felt I was neglecting trying to get his baby brother to eat. I guess it is all just a part of the journey.

With this new frustration among us, I decided to try Paxton on a bottle to see if he could eat better. He has been eating much better, it has been easier on me and I feel like I still get to spend time with my spirited two year old!! Oh boy, the formula...I guess THAT is now a part of our journey.

With the new found formula, I am also pumping some throughout the day so little P can still get at least some breast milk. Maddox finds pumping absolutely fascinating and now he desires to tell EVERYONE we come in contact with that "Mommy pump her milk" (this is accompanied with hand movements and his attempt to lift up his shirt) Oh the embarrassment, but I guess it is all part of the journey!

My hands are full, I am occasionally covered in spit up. I have to maintain proper discipline for our growing, learning, active two year old. There is always laundry to be washed, dried, folded or put away. I have almost killed our fish (sorry fishy). The house is full of toys. My patience tested to the max. My heart is full of love, my arms made for hugs, my lips made for kissing boo-boo's, my voice made for singing lullabies, my eyes for reading stories and at the end of the day I know this journey was made for me when I hear the simple phrase "I love you Mommy"

Here's to the journey and I think John Mayer sang it best:

"Don't stop this train. Don't for a minute change the place you're in. Don't think I couldn't ever understand. I tried my hand, honestly we'll never stop this train."

Brothers

Here are my sweet boys enjoying a nice conversation

One day Maddox started quoting mart of his favorite book "The Hippos Go Berserk" and it constantly cracks us up that he can remember all of this book. I love his sweet little voice and wanted to have this memory of him at this age of innocence!!! So, go grab some popcorn and enjoy a nice story from the Madd-man (and a little from Paxton as well..ha ha)

Baby Blues

Look at the beautiful BABY BLUE eyes on our sweet little Peanut!!!

First Trip

We did it!! We successfully traveled the 6 hour car ride to Oklahoma City with a two year old and a one month old. It was a bit of a circus, reaching behind me about 10,000 times to replace a paci for Paxton, hand Maddox a snack, turn on a different movie for Maddox, hand the Madd-man something he dropped on the floor board...you get the point. Paxton did great, we had to stop once in Amarillo to feed and change him and then we were back on the road for the next 4 hours and made it to Oklahoma City without another stop. We had a super late start to the trip so we didn't leave the house until almost 8pm; therefore, we finally arrived in OKC at around 3am.....the boys did great in the car; however, once we made it to grandma and grandpa's house Maddox had enough sleep in the car to be completely wired and could not sleep. Paxton didn't sleep at all that night either...needless to say, it was a very LONG night for all of us, but it was successful.
Maddox was so sweet in the car...when Paxton would start crying, Maddox would say "shhhh, oh Paxton, it's okay." He was trying so hard to soothe his little brother. Thanks Madd-man, you are such a great brother!!

The rest of the trip we just hung out with family, went to the farm to see Grandma Jo, rode the 4wheeler, and just let Maddox run out all that two year old energy!
Paxton was a champ and traveled so easily. He slept well (after the first night of course), ate well and loved all the people holding him. Maddox had a great time and we were proud of how well he did considering his schedule was completely thrown off and he rarely got a nap when he needed one. We did have some awesome battles with the whine monster, but overall he was our smart, funny, active, attention seeking, loving little man!!

                                                

One Month

Paxton is one month old today...can any of you believe that?? Because I certainly cannot. Time has just flown by, yet I cannot imagine our lives without this little guy in it.

What are you up to these days Mr. Paxton?

You eat about every 3 hours during the day and around every 3.5-4 hours at night (last night you made a 5 hour stretch but that was the first time that has happened)

You are still wearing newborn diapers and newborn clothes

You seem to like being swaddled; although there are times when you would much rather have those arms of yours right by your little face and you make sure you squirm out of your blanket to accomplish your goal.

You like your pacifier when you are having a hard time getting settled or when you have gas, but other than that you seem pretty content without it

You are still sleeping in your swing and seem to like it

You like to sleep/cuddle on my chest and I absolutely LOVE this. I prayed you would want to cuddle :)

Your eyes are still a beautiful blue color

You seem to enjoy bath time although you are NOT a fan of getting out of the bath..you get cold really quickly

Your big brother adores you

You are beginning to be more alert some throughout the day; although you still sleep a majority of the time...growing growing growing

You have blessed our family so much and we are so thankful for you!!

Happy one month birthday P-nut!!

Bottoms Up!!

Well today has been a day worth documenting ....Mr. Maddox went poopoo on the potty like a big boy!! I am sorry if that is too much information for some of you, but I had to document the first day that Maddox said he needed to go potty sat on the little potty for a  while and finally did the deed. I am sure he finally went because he wanted an M&M as a reward, but heck whatever works.
I realize we are no where near being potty trained, but I am so proud of our little guy...who reminded me once again today just how big he is becoming!!

Way to go Mr. Maddox....we are so proud!!

Random Rambling

You know you live in windy windy west Texas when your 2 year old son sees an American flag NOT blowing in the wind and in his most concerned voice says "Momma, it's broken" (there is very rarely a day that the wind is not blowing those precious American flags)

I was given accurate directions on how to get to our house from our super smart 2 year old! "Turn left. Now turn right. Turn right again...." How did he get so smart so quickly...must be from his daddy :)

I am a little sad that Paxton's newborn clothes are starting to actually fit him...that means he is growing up already.

I got Maddox a new movie to take with us when we travel, only to find out when I got it home and unwrapped it is a Special Edition....the "special" part is that it is only in Spanish. What the heck!?!

While taking both boys on a few errands the other day, I had to call Brad at work because I couldn't figure out how to get Paxton's car seat unlocked from the new stroller!! Thanks Brad for your help over the phone!!
Paxton will be one month old next week...is that really possible. I cannot believe one month has passed already...time is going by so quickly.

Maddox has recently picked up on a few not so pleasant words....yikes.

Paxton is finally taking to a pacifier...this is bittersweet. I don't want to have to break him of this habit down the road, but it is definitely helping him not think he is so hungry in the evening times and helps soothe him to sleep a little easier!

Maddox is loving playing in his room lately and has taken a huge liking to Barney. (I always swore I would not let my kid watch Barney...but man, my kid is fascinated with that huge purple dinosaur and I like that he teaches manners, sharing, cleaning up, and how to be nice to our friends. Thank you annoying sounding, purple dinosaur,  you provide my son with entertainment when my hands are very much full caring for the newborn little guy)

Paxton can still NOT lay flat on his back without severely spitting up....oh sweet swing how we love you!!

Paxton's umbilical cord stump fell off yesterday....hello bath time.

This life with two young babies is hard, rewarding, messy, funny, and the sweetest thing I have ever experienced

Squeakers and 29 Months

Squeak. Baaa. Grunt. These are all sounds frequently made by sweet little Paxton. His most popular nick name in our house is Squeakers.....he certainly squeaks a lot...when he eats...when he is resting...when he stretches...when he is sleeping....you name it...he squeaks squeaks squeaks. It is pretty funny. He also makes a "Baaa" sound like a little sheep....this is Maddox's favorite noise Paxton makes....in fact, Maddox will often imitate this voice back to Paxton followed by a good giggle from Mr. Maddox. It is pretty funny to watch them "interact" already!!


On the 8th, Maddox turned 29 months old. He is just growing up so fast and changing so quickly. He is definitely a little boy and has a ton of personality. He is so much fun to watch these days. His imagination is really at work and he can be so creative. The other day he was eating a sandwich, pretzel sticks, carrot sticks and ranch dressing....he dipped his pretzel in ranch and stuck it in his sandwich then started singing "Happy Birthday" and "blew" out his candle (the pretzel dipped in ranch). Hahahha...this boy does love him some birthday candles!!! He is proving to be smarter and smarter everyday. Currently he can tell you that the American flag has 50 stars, 13 stripes and is Red White and Blue. He knows the Texas flag has one star and is the Lone Star State. And he knows that George Washington was the first President.
His current obsession are his Lego's. He loves to build castles, garages, car washes and towers and he is pretty good at it if I do say so myself.
While my hands are more full these days and my patience stretched a little thin at times, this little boy who is turning into such a big boy brings my heart more joy and happiness than I ever knew possible. Mr. Maddox, I hope this 29th month in your life is the best yet!!!

Can YOU See It??

Do you see what I see?? These two boys are definitely brothers! They look a lot alike. Can YOU see it??

Here is Maddox after one of his first baths:

Here is Paxton after one of his first baths:

Here is Maddox making a very weird face:

Here is Paxton making a very weird face as well:

Here is Maddox relaxing:

Here is Paxton doing the same:

Perhaps it's just me...but I do believe these Kalivoda boys look very much alike and I love it!!!

I will add these pics because I want to show how blue Paxton's eyes are right now....could it be..is he going to have his daddy's beautiful blue eyes??? And, check out his hair...it is curly after his bath and CRAZY any other time...so precious!!

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! Today was the day we were supposed to be induced and meet our little Paxton...instead we are celebrating 15 days with the little guy! I cannot believe that he is already 2 weeks old...and that I have been a mommy to two precious little boys for just over two weeks now....I have survived..lol!!!
Paxton is doing wonderfully! Eat. Burp. Eat. Poop. Sleep.....repeat! There is our schedule with the little one. He is still a tiny little one, but I can tell he is gradually getting bigger. His newborn clothes and car seat still swallow him whole. He continues to sleep well in his beloved swing as we are still dealing with the spit up, but it seems to be getting better everyday as his little tummy continues to grow!

Maddox has been a lot of fun these past few days. The weather has been beautiful which makes us all feel good. Madd can go outside and play or play inside with mommy and Paxton. We busted out the sidewalk chalk for the first time...we played out in the back yard for a few hours drawing and playing with the chalk, he seemed to really enjoy it. I also braved it and bought him some play dough.....that was a huge HIT!! He has a pair of fake scissors, a rolling pin and cookie cutters that he can use with the play dough and he has a blast playing with those. I have to admit, I really enjoy playing with the play dough as well....I think this will be a regular activity in our house!

Keeping Me on My Toes

Maddox...oh sweet, boisterous, strong willed, spirited Maddox. You constantly keep us on our toes. You have entered an "awesome" new phase right now called "WHINE WHINE WHINE" You are very much two years of age and are exhibiting all the "normal" qualities that this stage of life brings. You desire to do things yourself, then immediately get frustrated when you cannot do them yourself. Then, there are times when you don't want to do anything yourself and you only want "Mommy do it" You also like to repeat your self over and over and over and over and over and over and over again..it does not matter how many times we repeat back what you are saying or try to change the subject you continue to repeat yourself....sometimes it drives me batty..... While there is a lot about this stage that can be down right exhausting...there is so much about you at this age that is so much fun!! You love to play pretend and you can be so sweet (when you want to). You love your baby brother and any time he cries you get concerned and want to make sure he is okay. You are so smart and funny! You love to play with real tools..if you could have a screw driver in your hand all the time, you would!! You love to wrestle with daddy, fix things with daddy and mimic all that daddy does! You take great naps and go down with out a fight every time! You know the bed time routine...bath, jammies, Bible and bed. You love to read Jesus with your Daddy and you are so sweet when you say your prayers.

There is a lot going on in that two year old body of yours as you try to figure out all those crazy emotions and find a way to communicate your frustrations. I pray that as your mommy I can help guide you during this time and bring out all those great qualities we see in you everyday. We know you are going to be a great man (you already are a wonderful little boy)!! We are so proud of how well you are adjusting to being a big brother! We cannot wait to watch you guys grow up together and form an unbreakable bond!!

Thank you for keeping us on our toes and providing endless entertainment!!!

Paxton is still doing wonderfully!! He sleeps well and eats well. So far no signs of tummy problems (YIPPEE) He currently sleeps most of the time in his swing because he occasionally spits up. While this is not a regular occurrence, it is super scary when he does. He gets super chocked and we often have to help him catch his breath...therefore, we have him sleep in his swing so he can be more up-right!!! I am handling both boys surprisingly well....they have made it easy on me this past week..I am preparing myself for the adventure...but so far it is going great!!!