10 Months - Best Big Bro Award

About a month ago I had to quit my job to stay home with the boys [again] because the cost of daycare was negating my paycheck. In all honestly, although I was disappointed to leave my job because I absolutely loved it and all the people I worked with, I'm happy to be given this opportunity to soak up all of the littleness of my children while they still have it. Yes, being a SAHM is the most challenging thing I've ever done - especially now that I have two children to contend with - but I'm working diligently to find constructive ways to regain my sanity and to entertain my children in constructive ways. When we really get into a good, educational routine I will post more about that. But for now, we shall focus on my blue eyed, blonde haired little heart-throbs. Seriously guys...just look at Tristan's little face. I don't think he could possibly be any cuter!

Tristan has finally mastered the art of crawling! Well, I don't know if "mastered" is technically correct. I call it his "Gollum crawl" because he looks sort of creepy when he does it. He basically uses his left leg to support himself and uses his right foot to drag himself around. It's weird and hilarious to watch. It's even funnier now that he's gotten quicker about it. When Eli runs by and Tristan decides he needs to grab him, he ninjas over with that creepy little crawl and I can't help but laugh out loud! 

He also officially has six teeth! SIX! Ok so, maybe that's not such a big deal for some of you, but Eli didn't get teeth until he was 16 months old (I know some of you think that's impossible, but I assure you, it is...If anyone needs tips on how to feed a one year old with no teeth, I got you) so for me, it's a HUGE deal. 

This is Eli at 13 months. See...no teeth. Nada. Zip.

The whole teething experience wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be either. Where Eli didn't get teeth until much later, he was able to handle the pain really well and didn't really complain that much so I wasn't sure what to expect with a younger teether. With Tristan, we didn't even know he was teething at 6 months (partly because we didn't expect it that early) until he smiled and there was a little white pearl peeking out from his bottom gums. At his 9 month checkup our doctor told us that Tristan was getting four top teeth at the same time and we were in shock! Granted, this undertaking much much more difficult on our little trooper and he had some fevers and quite a bit of whining and crying but all his efforts have paid off and we can officially see all four little top teeth! 

Those eyelashes.

Awkward big brother kisses are the best kind of kisses.

As you can see from the photo above, Elijah is my entertainer while Tristan is my observer. Eli talks and sings constantly and Tristan just looks around and takes everything in. A friend of mine was holding him once and she said, "He makes me feel stupid. Like, he's staring at me like I'm an idiot." Haha! He really does though. I feel like he might be some sort of genius master-mind under all of that contemplative exterior and he's probably smarter than I am. Basically, Eli is a dog person and Tristan is a cat person. Figuratively. Eli runs and jumps and talks and always has energy to burn. If I don't find constructive ways to burn off that energy, he destroys my house. He's always seeking approval but he can be very defiant if I'm not stern with him... He's a dog person. Tristan, on the other hand, waits and watches. If he sees something he wants he's at it as quick as a flash and he looks at people like they're idiots. He is also very sweet and cuddly for a while then he'll randomly smack you in the face.... he's a cat person. No, I do not think of my children as animals nor do I treat them as such, I just find that analogy hilarious. 

 I can never get good pictures of Elijah because, when I say he never stops talking, I mean he NEVER stops talking. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't. Regardless, he tells me stories, sings me song, goes on adventures, uses random objects and dubs them even more random objects (blocks become "uhnockalars" [binoculars], etc...). He's an endless source of entertainment and stress, but I will never want for conversation around him, that's for sure!

He laid down on the concrete to take a nap. An obvious choice for a comfortable bed, don't you think?

Every day, if the weather permits, I take the boys outside to let Elijah run to his heart's content and let Tristan explore. we often visit the neighbor's horses because the boys love them and so does Lakota. 

PS... Let me just talk about Lakota for a minute. I have never in my life seen a more patient dog with children. When we got Lakota, everything we read said we needed to be careful with them around small children because they are so hyper they might unintentionally hurt them. Granted, he has knocked Eli over a few times trying to play with him, but for the most part he is so, SO good with the boys and they absolutely adore him! He never leaves Elijah's side and when Tristan was tiny, I would lay him down and Kota would lay right next to him. Every time Tristan looks out a window now he says, "Dot! Dot!" [Dot = Dog] and when Kota licks him in the face he just laughs and reaches for him. I could not be more thankful for such a wonderful dog and what he means to our family. 

He did not like the feeling of the cool grass on his feet. 

I love these little moments: Tristan was upset because he didn't like the way the grass felt on his feet. He was whining and growling about it so Elijah came over and sat down next to him, obviously perplexed at why he was so upset. I told him Tristan didn't like the grass on his toes and Elijah said, "It's ok Bubby. The grass won't hurt you toes." Ok...now I'm crying. These kids are just precious. And Eli is the best big brother. He then proceeded to pick a dandelion and pick it for Tristan. Seriously? Be still my heart. 

Oh, and this face has become a staple with Eli. He does it all of the time for completely unknown reasons. Hahaha!