Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Blowing off steam

Our dynamic duo continue to be a great source of entertainment, though there are days where we can use a break! Things have been less hectic in the home over the last few weeks, especially since all the back-to-back-to-back festivities have pretty much come and gone. It just seemed like we were on the go over the last couple of months, and now that we're experiencing a bit of a lull in the activity, it's giving us a bit of breathing room and some much needed "chill time" with each other. But having nothing planned can be equally as crazy. The kids keep us moving 24/7 with their boundless energy, and that's really an understatement!

Over the next couple of weekends, we've got a few trips planned, so that'll keep the kiddos guessing at what's next. We're actually taking the kids camping, so that'll be the true test of our patience, though we'll have lots of family around us to help keep the beasts in line! Hahahaha, they're really not that bad at all. Camping will be a great outing for them because they'll get to blow off as much steam as they can without fear of breaking anything! It should be a really fun experience, one we hope to make a yearly family tradition. This will definitely be a test for us as parents, as well as for us as a family. Wish us luck!


The kids saving $$$ for our next family outing

Friday, August 21, 2009

Inseparable?

So it seems that our little two-some are becoming more and more like one another. Though Makenna is 11 months older, some people still think we have twins! Just looking at them, it's pretty obvious they're not, with Makenna going through another quick growth spurt and standing almost a whole head taller than Isaiah.

The two are fun to watch as they do their own thing, though it seems that whatever they're doing, it needs to be done together. Isaiah still has the short attention span of a boy, and will change activities every few minutes or so. He's still into anything and everything about cars, and will play with his toy cars as long as his sister is nearby. Makenna's new thing is sitting up on her bed or the couch while reading books. No matter where she posts up, Isaiah is right by her, doing whatever. It's almost a security blanket for the both of them. Makenna can practice her "reading" so long as her brother is there as her mini audience, and Isaiah will play quietly as long as he can hear Makenna rambling on and on. It's funny how well the two mesh.

On the flip-side though, they can both work each other's nerves, and that's really and understatement! Neither one can live without the other, but on a bad day, they really know how to get under each other's skin. As much as Makenna tells us she loves her brother, and that she wants to give him hugs and kisses, she'll do things on purpose just to annoy him. If there's a pile of books, she'll always grab the ones she wants first and that doesn't bother the little man because he'll usually find one of interest left in the pile. Whatever book he grabs will instantly become the one that Makenna wants, and she'll immediately take it from Isaiah causing him to cry. But Isaiah knows what to do to upset Makenna as well. He's somehow learned to push her away and say no to her for almost anything. Anytime she wants to show him some love, he'll whine and scream "noooooo!" That in itself makes Makenna mad, so she'll still try to hug or kiss her brother, not realizing that she's smothering him in the process! Then Isaiah gets really irritated and by that time, one of us has to intervene. I guess it's all a part of growing up, and for now, we'll just have to deal with the little annoyances and just help the two learn and understand. Happy Friday everyone!


Believe it or not, Isaiah's "annoyed" look was NOT caused by Makenna!

Makenna's angelic little smirk



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Terrible two's

When Isaiah was born, some 18 months ago, our baby girl Makenna was only 11 months old. At first we didn't think that would be a big issue, and figured that being so close in age would help them grow together in closeness. What we didn't realize was that by having them so close together, we would be taking away from the individual attention we would have been giving Makenna. But then again, what if we had twins? Then the whole thought of "individual attention" goes out the window, right? Having our kids grow up only 11 months apart wasn't really our choice, but it was the card we were dealt, and we're happy things happened the way they did.

Once Isaiah was born, and Makenna had to learn that she wasn't the only baby in the house, her terrible two's started a little early (or so we thought)! She's been a great big sister, and she tells the world proudly that Isaiah's her little brother! But apart from her loving, big sister role, her darker side has begun to rear it's head. Makenna is close to reaching the 2.5 year mark, and she's proven that she's a lot more wiser than her years. Not only is she freely speaking her mind, she's been pushing her little brother around! Who would've thought that our angelic little baby girl could be such a little bully?! We figure it must be some kind of pecking order of sorts, or survival of the fittest, or maybe even the idea that $hit rolls downhill. In the greater scheme of things, Isaiah's at the bottom of the hill, with Makenna just above him. That being said, it's natural for the older sibling to torment the younger one, so we chalk that up as normal. But when she turns around and tries to pull rank on one of us? It ain't happening, not in this lifetime! Picking on your younger sibling is one thing, but trying to talk back to your parents is totally different. We understand that this is just the beginning. In fact, this is normal for her age, and it'll grow from here. We're just trying to nip it in the bud so it doesn't get blown so out of proportion later on, that she's running us by the time she's 5 years old. Like I said, not in this lifetime!

At the end of the day though, after having all her fits, sitting in her naughty spot, and after all of her numerous apologies to the rest of the family, Makenna returns to her normal and well-behaved self. I'm not trying to say that she's a little spitfire every day, but more often than not, she shows a bit of sass and attitude. It must be the Sicilian side of her because Filipinos are known to be a calm and mellow people. Hehehe, just kidding, had to throw that one in there =) But seriously, at day's end, when she's winding down, it's hard to stay upset with her, especially when she flashes that million dollar smile and says "I love you."

Boy does she have us wrapped....

Makenna tormenting Isaiah...

Our little angel?


Thursday, August 06, 2009

Isaiah's 18 month appointment

Its been a few weeks since I've updated the blog, and that's mainly because I really haven't found any time as of late. Even with the time I had off from work, with all of the parties and booked weekends we've had, it's just been tough to get a moment to share news about the "little" ones. Now that I find myself with a minute, here goes....

So Isaiah hit the 18 month mark yesterday, and he also had his 18 month doctor appointment (complete with his final two shots until his 2nd birthday). Though he's been fighting an ugly cough these past few weeks, the doctor said that everything looked great and that our little man was right on target. He was quite surprised that Isaiah was talking so much, and we figured that Isaiah started talking a lot more than Makenna did at this stage. Then again, he does have her to follow, and with that, he's also picked up some of her habits (but that's another story)! Isaiah wasn't in the best of moods at the doctor's office, maybe because deep down he knew he was getting a couple of shots? Nevertheless, the doctor let us know that all was well with Isaiah's development. Getting up to, and past, this milestone is a relief, and things can only get better from this point forward. It's such a relief to finally get past the initial baby stage and get him prepared for his terrible two's! Let's see how we handle when the little man begins acting out! Here are his latest measurements:

Weight = 25 pounds (50th percentile)
Height = 31.25 inches (25th percentile)
Head = 44 cm (60th percentile)


Looking back at Makenna's 18 month numbers, we were a bit surprised. At this stage, she was 1 pound heavier, 1 inch taller, and her head was 2 cm smaller. Though the differences in their measurments are minimal, the differences in their personalities is distinguishable! It's hard to tell exactly which of the two will be the mellow one. Only time will tell...

Isaiah at 18 months (Makenna took this picture)