Adjusting to our "regular routine"

Well, unfortunately my maternity leave ended earlier this month and so I had to go back to work (I'm teaching first grade this year) and the boys had to start daycare. Last year Devin was very lucky (and very spoiled!) to be able to have his great-grandmas come here to our house to take care of him and ONLY him. Now the boys are going to an in-home daycare where there are several other children, which has benefits and drawbacks as far as Devin's concerned. On one hand, he's not the only child being taken care of (although he wouldn't be even if the grandmas were still watching him because Levi is here now, too!), but on the other hand he is able to develop his social skills with other kids his age. Sharing, for instance, is something that he hasn't really had to ever do, but at daycare (okay, and in life in general) that's a HUGE skill! He's also mostly parallel playing rather than cooperatively playing with the other kids, but that's totally appropriate for his age. When he does interact with the other kids, though, it's usually to steal their toy or their snack! The sitter is really good about helping the kids work things out, but I've told her that it's fine to let Devin learn how to work things out on his own (and the other kids work things out with him), too. He can't just go around bullying the other kids into giving him their snack--the real world doesn't work that way! :)



Levi has done pretty well adjusting to daycare, and I guess that makes sense since he's so young. The only thing that the little stinker does NOT do well with is taking a bottle. He did fine when he was just going part-time, and he'd take a bottle every 2-3 hours, which is as often as he nurses at home. But as soon as I started back full-time he went on bottle-strike! He actually went two days where he refused to take a bottle the entire time I was gone...9 hours each day! Now he's gone to just taking 1.5 ounces in the morning and 1.5 ounces in the afternoon--just enough to take the edge of his hunger but no more than absolutely necessary. Then once we get home he wants to nurse every hour or so, which is fine with me, really. As soon as we get home Devin has a snack and a sippy cup of milk and Levi has his milk, too...LOL my boys love their milk! ;)


Devin is STILL working on his four molars. Two have finally actually broken the skin but the other two still just feel like huge hot marbles under his gums. He's had a "leaky faucet" runny nose for literally over a month now, but that's his classic teething sign. Usually when he starts coughing mildly and his nose starts dripping constantly we know he's working on some teeth. This time he went through a couple of SUPER cranky weeks where we could tell he was absolutely miserable (we used Motrin and Tylenol off and on to at least help him more comfortable at night) but he at least seems to be feeling somewhat better now. Ugh...I wish those darned molars would just come through already so he can get back to feeling totally normal and try those new chompers out on some steak! :)

Hmmm...I think I'll ram this Batmobile into my baby brother and see what happens! And I'll ram it into him not just once, but over and over again in different spots on his body until Mommy or Daddy stops me!




This was his first time in his sandbox that his Great Grandma got him for his birthday. He didn't understand that those were HIS toes he found buried in the sand!

He was very interested in the sand...

so of course he had to taste it (check out Tye's face in this picture! He was saying, "Eww! Devin, noooo!!!)

I just love these two pictures of his chubby little hands and feet all covered in sand (and yes, he's just in his diaper because we figured that would be an easier cleanup!).

The story of Levi's life right now: he's minding his own business, just watching a toy move and light up, and here comes Devin (who just barges right in between Levi and me to see what Levi's so interested in!).

Devin decides that he'll sit down and check it out, too...

Oh, never mind. He'll just sit RIGHT IN FRONT OF LEVI'S FACE so that he can get a better view. While he's at it he'll just push Levi out of the way with his butt!! :)

So Levi ends up just sitting in his chair where he's safe (or as safe as he can be with Devin on the loose!). :) Just kidding--he still spends lots of time on the floor but we just can't leave the two of them alone in a room together or Levi gets squashed!

Devin makes this funny face all the time!