Brothers, Best Friends...

(...and sometimes worst enemies.

But that's not what this post is about.)

After pretending to feed his brother dinner in the high chair (with imaginary food), Tait Jr. (3) pretends to put his little brother Miles (2) to sleep in the rocker.

"Yours ting a tong."

"What song?"

"Yours ting a Jesus God tong. No, yours ting a David tong.

'Bout David kill da bad duy."

Then I heard a soft sing-songy (or is it "ting-tongy"?) voice from a little boy, singing his brother to sleep:

"David kill da bad duy.

David kill da bad duy! 

David kill da bad duy...."

These little guys melt my heart at least fifty times a day!

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I won't even mention how long it's been since I posted last. (And don't you dare look back to see.) There are a million and one things to post ... which is probably why I haven't posted at all. :D There are four posts in the works right now, and now that I feel like I have a handle (more or less) on all of my wifely and motherly duties, you'll hopefully be seeing more of me. : )

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

A Tribute to Miles on His 2nd Birthday

Happy 2nd birthday to Miles...

...our emotional one...

...our dramatic one...

...our accident prone one...

In the hospital waiting to be sedated
Read this story here,
and another one of his ER escapades here.

...our funny one...

...our clueless one...

 

...our musical one... 

...our messy one...

...and, of course, our rock thrower. If there is a rock anywhere in the vicinity, Miles will find it and do what every little boy naturally does with rocks.

When I found out we were expecting Miles, I cried. Not because I wasn't excited about another baby, but because I was already so overwhelmed with a newborn. When we discovered that Miles was on the way, Little Tait had been home from the hospital for just 6 weeks (after spending his first 3 months before his due date in the hospital).

I was still in the newborn stage ... up for feedings around the clock, adjusting to life with a baby (a very fussy baby) at home, etc. I was still adjusting to married life and life in Alaska. After all, we'd only been married a little over 10 months!

I wondered how in the world it was possible to handle another baby so quickly after the first one. But, God is faithful, and He gave us the grace and the strength - through 10 weeks of semi-bedrest while taking care of an 8-month-old, and a week-long NICU stay - to welcome a new little blessing into our lives. (Tait's parents were truly a godsend!)

I never could have fathomed the joy that Miles would bring into our home. He is such a little character, and his silly, clownish antics draw countless laughs from us throughout the day. He's always been a smiley guy, which very early on earned him the nickname "S'Miles." He also answers to "Moo-Moo," "Mr. Miles," "Miledy Moo," "Mi," "Mr. Smiles," and "Moody."

He is, of course, best buddies and worst enemies with his 10-and-a-half-months older big brother. They do everything together. Everything. Except ... well, actually there aren't any exceptions.

 

His high-pitched scream is a signature characteristic, and is released anytime his brother steals a toy or an earth-shattering tragedy happens. Usually, it's because of the former and not the latter.

 

He is a much earlier talker than Little Tait was, and can pretty much get across whatever he wants to get across. It might take him a full minute to get ten words out though, between all of his stuttering and searching for the right word....

This was one of those
""I can't believe I don't have my camera,
but I'm sure glad I have my iPhone"
moments. :D
Miles provides us with lots of those.

Miles is truly a joy in our home, and we look forward to the great things God has in store for him! May He give us the wisdom to disciple him, the patience to discipline him, the perseverance to train him, and the grace to listen to that high-pitched scream yet again.

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His birthday was Sunday, and I've had this post, minus the pictures, prepared since then. Better late than never! : )

Like Mother ... Like Son

I stuck a raisin up my nose when I was five. Just because. Just to see what would happen. After Mom and Dad couldn't get it out, we took a trip to the ER. Simple tweezers did the trick, and all was good as new. I guess my curiosity was satisfied, since I never tried that experiment again.

Fast forward 20 years....

[Context: We were down in South Carolina visiting my family a couple weeks ago. It was Saturday, and the plan was for my sisters and me to have a nice breakfast out with my mom, browse through the farmers' market, and meet up with the guys for an afternoon at the beach.]

I was sitting in bed feeding Matthew, when my brother brought Miles into the room with an "I hate to tell you this, Lauren, but...." I had already guessed what happened: Miles' tears, and his fat little finger far up his nose told the story.

"They were eating raisins," my brother told me.

After peering into his nose with the help of a flashlight, and not finding anything, I called Little Tait (now just a few months away from 3 years old).

"Taiter, did Miles stick a raisin up his nose?
"Yep," was the humorous, matter-of-fact reply.

Then, another thought struck me.
"Taiter, did you stick a raisin up your nose?"
Again, the matter-of-fact reply. "Yep."

We groaned.

Thankfully, Little Tait's raisin was within reach, and came out easily with tweezers. One down, one to go.

We had no idea how complicated that "one to go" was going to be....

Since Miles' raisin was way back there, out of sight, we set off for the Doctor's Care facility up the road. After the doctor poked and prodded for awhile, Miles "lost it" and we had to give the papoose board a try. That even didn't keep him still enough, and the doctor was afraid he would end up puncturing something way back in there if he kept trying.

Since the Doctor's Care place wasn't equipped to sedate him, and no alternative solutions presented themselves, we set out for the ER.

It was a slow Saturday morning at the ER, and we got right into a little private room. The doctors couldn't see anything up Miles' nose either. The thought that there wasn't actually anything up there, and that we and poor Miles were going through all of this for nothing, crossed my mind more than once. But I pushed it aside. All the evidence pointed to the fact that there was something up his nose. Except that we couldn't actually see anything. But Little Tait said that Miles stuck something up there, and Miles had been crying with his finger up his nose.

And Little Tait had a raisin up his nose, which is just about proof positive that Miles had one up there too.

Miles suffered through quite a bit of poking and prodding yet again. It wasn't until they brought out a little blower and tried to blow in the left nostril to bring the raisin out of the right side, that Miles lost it again. Still no success.

They'd have to call in the ENT, they said. But the ENT was in surgery and wouldn't be out for a few hours. So Tait and I ran to the cafeteria with Matthew to grab breakfast, leaving my sister with Miles, who thought the little train set the hospital lent him was just about the greatest thing.

Two hours later, the ENT came by. Again, Miles suffered good-naturedly through more poking and prodding. He even laughingly commented that the camera scope "tickled" as it was stuck way, way up his nose.

Then, they brought out the suction/air blower thingy again. I guess he had bad memories from that before, poor little guy. Again, he lost it, and again they couldn't get him to stay completely still (any surprise?).

Through the camera scope, the ENT was able to see ... something. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was was way back in there, and he was unable to get it out. He seemed pretty sure that there was nothing else in there, and we were all almost convinced that the raisin had worked its way back and Miles had swallowed it. But, because he couldn't fully see that one area, the ENT thought it would be wise to sedate him and get a clearer look.

So, we waited another hour or two for Miles' breakfast to settle before they sedated him.

I had to hold him still in my lap while they inserted the IV. They ended up needing to dig around and do it twice, since the first poke didn't work right. Miles was not happy.

Waiting on Daddy's lap for the sedation to take effect

Seeing Miles sedated was the most difficult mothering experience since Little Tait spent his first 3 months in the NICU almost 3 years ago. Something about seeing my child lying there, mostly unresponsive, with his eyes open and eerily glassed over ... it just sent chills up my spine, and I had to suppress the feelings of panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

He was very resistant to the sedation, and kept squirming slightly. He cried quietly almost non-stop the entire time. They kept having to give him more and more sedation to keep him still. They gave him all they dared, but even then he wasn't as still as they would have liked.

The first thing to come out of his nose was the unidentified object that the ENT had seen through the scope. After examining the tiny, paper-thin object, I identified it pretty confidently as an almond skin. The next two small, hard particles that came out also looked like almond pieces. Hmmm ... maybe he didn't have a raisin up his nose after all! Finally, from way back in his nose, out came ... a large piece of almond. Praise the Lord! It was out!

Poor Miles had a rough time coming out of the sedation initially. But he soon felt better, and it was hilarious to hear him talk good-naturedly in slow motion. He had been watching "Thomas the Tank Engine" at different points to distract him, and as he was "waking up," he pointed to the ceiling, waved his hand around, and slurred "Thomas up there!" :D

Snuggling with Daddy, just after waking up

They put a diaper on his arm over the IV 

to keep him from seeing and playing with it.

Thanks in part to these little guys, our "vacation" could not exactly qualify as "relaxing"; but you know? It's all worth it! And if I have to spend my intended beach day in the ER instead ... I will, as my husband constantly reminds me, "rejoice always," and see the humor in these crazy events that I'm sure we'll be laughing at in the years to come!

And experiences like these just help me identify with my parents, nearly 20 years ago, when their 5-year-old stuck a raisin up her nose. :D

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

Boys, Blood, and Staples

It was kind of ironic. We were at the hospital visiting some out-of-town relatives after their appointment, when "it" happened. Miles is known for his unique ability to trip on anything, and is our especially accident-prone one.

I had just told Aunt Chris that, if I wasn't busy nursing Matthew a little distance away from where the boys were playing, and if they hadn't had a kind of rough day cooped up in the car and running errands, I probably wouldn't allow them to climb and play on the bench and footstool in the empty sitting area there. Not 30 seconds later....

He was sitting on a cylindrical wooden footstool/table thingy and somehow fell backwards. Of course there was a handy corner on a nearby table that made contact with the back of his head on the way down, splitting it open nicely.



Since we were already at the hospital, all we had to do was walk across the sky bridge to the emergency room. : )

An hour and 3 staples later, he was as good as new!



I was amazed at how calm he stayed through the whole thing - crying just a couple minutes after he fell, sitting on my lap and crying just a little while as they numbed and stapled him.... Quite a little trooper!

We're thankful there were no internal injuries, and that it was a nice, quick, convenient fix! Something tells me that any future emergency room trips won't be as simple as walking calmly across the sky bridge. ;D

(Many thanks to all of the moms who gave feedback on my last post! I'll be writing a follow-up post soon!)

- Posted using BlogPress from my Super Handy iPhone

Of Boys, Rocks, and Lakes

I was working on editing these on my computer, but for some reason, every time I edit a photo, my computer moves it to an unspecified and apparently top-secret location that is completely unknown to me. (The recent blogging drought is due, in part, to this, my computer's unlawful usurpation of power....) So, these are the raw, unedited iPhone photos....

It was a cold, somewhat cloudy Alaskan summer day, and we were at a lake for a friend's birthday party. The big boys present were having fun wading in the lake with their boots, and Little Tait of course had to follow right along. I was glad I'd put his boots on before we left the house!

And then ... Miles decided that he wanted to follow the big kids too. No boots on that boy! But the freezing water didn't phase him a bit, and he continued - for nearly an hour! - his new favorite pastime of throwing rocks in the lake, soaking his sleeves above the elbow each
time he bent down for yet another rock from the bottom.

Sometimes, as a mother of three little boys, you have to turn a blind eye to the endless dirt, mud, grime, and impossible stains. ;D

A good friend of ours, Jen, of Visionary Pioneers, brought her camera (now why didn't I think of that?), and caught these much better pictures of our Miles....

Little Tait playing hide-and-seek with his buddy, Coleman

And I just had to post this one too,
of a few of our friends' little girls.
Great job, Jen! This one is just gorgeous!
Completely postcardworthy! : )

Happy Father's Day to Our Daddy!!!

Hi, this is Tait Jr., Miles, and Matthew. We want to tell you about our daddy.

He's the best daddy in the whole world! He takes us exploring outside and teaches us how to fix things with our tools and stuff like that. He even lets us help him sometimes!

On Thursdays, we go to work with Daddy. When he's working at home, our job is to get papers out of the printer for him. That's fun!

Daddy's job is to raise us up to serve God and accomplish great things for Him. We are very thankful for a Daddy who loves us, loves God, and loves our Mommy.

We love you, Daddy!

As They Always Are...

Miles ... happy, adorable, and "S'miling"

Don't take me too seriously on that; even he has his moments. ;D

But he is, in general, a very smiley and happy boy! He's always jolly, though a little subdued, when he wakes up - even on those rare occasions when I have to wake him up from his long, 4-hour afternoon naps. : )

_____________________________________________

Little Tait ... as he always is...

...fixing something.

And, not so much as he always is (intense) - but adorable, just the same! :D His mouth is always messy when he's at Grandma's house though, as he is here. : )

I know they won't always be this way - small ... snuggly ... young ... demanding.... ;D

But I do hope they will always be curious, exploring, learning, and growing!

One of Tait's (and my!) huge passions is creating a lifelong love of learning in our children. We want them to understand that their learning won't end once their "formal schooling" is completed! We want them to constantly be studying new things, learning new things, and exploring new things ... just like they do now!

I'm realizing that my little guys are growing up - Little Tait graduated to a toddler bed last night (*tear*); he sorts silverware into the appropriate dividers when we empty the drainer, transfers laundry from the washer to the dryer (if I help him open the door, and if he doesn't get distracted with the light toggle button), and is learning to set the table. Miles has finally decided that maybe walking isn't such a dumb idea after all. And he's finally learning that his favorite pastime of pulling all of the tissues out of the box and stuffing them back in again ... isn't such a great idea.

I'm cherishing this time when they're small, and looking forward to a few months from now, when I'll be snuggling a newborn in addition to these two little monkeys!

Are They Boys or Monkeys?

They spent the afternoon climbing up the back the couch to watch the moths (they're the new fascination around here). The Big One also enjoyed crashing down onto the cushions as soon as the top was reached. But Mommy soon put a stop to that, since it definitely seemed to qualify as Furniture Abuse.

And when that ugly old green couch gets replaced with nice "new" leather Craigslist couches, Furniture Abuse will be a very serious offense around here.

Little Tait modeling his new "Camera Smile"

Hmmm ... I Knew Things Were too Quiet!

This is a first. (Not that our bathroom doesn't usually look at least a little messy, but that's the first time an entire roll of toilet paper has been unrolled.)

The weird thing is that his big brother helped him with this one. Little Tait knows that unrolling the toilet paper is off limits, and is very obedient, but sometime when his little brother starts on something, the peer pressure is just too hard to resist.

Might there be a little bit of guilt on that face? : )

Happy Birthday, Mr. Miles!

Yes, one year ago today our second little guy was born! I had been on semi-bedrest since 25 weeks, and we were so thankful, by God's grace, to make it to 35!

We went into the hospital on the morning of last October 1st because of some minor spotting. When they got me hooked up to their monitor, they discovered that I was having fairly strong contractions about every 3 minutes, which was a surprise to me, since I don't feel most of my labor contractions.

Yes, I can see you turning green with envy.

But it's really not a good thing for me, since I'm supposed to check myself into OB Triage as soon I start feeling any out-of-the-ordinary contractions. It's kind of hard to know when to go in if I can't feel anything. You see, I tend to have very early babies, and have to have C-sections each time because of the kind of emergency C-section I had with my first. (So much for all of my homebirth water birth aspirations! But God had other plans....) It's all very complicated, and I won't bore you (or gross you out) with all of the details now. : )

Meeting Miles for the first time, while still on the operating table

Miles was born by scheduled C-section (much more laid back than my emergency C-section!) around 5 that evening. He had some trouble keeping his oxygen saturation up, which meant he couldn't nurse, which meant his blood sugar dropped too low ... which meant he was sent to the NICU. After a 3 month NICU stay with our firstborn, who came by surprise at 27 weeks, we really were not looking forward to another NICU stay. We agreed that our goal was to be out in one week at the most.

In the NICU, hooked up to all of the IV's and machines.
Those scalp IV's are no fun!

By the grace of God, exactly one week later we took Miles home!

Together with his brother at last! : )

Miles is a very happy baby, and such a joy to be around! His outgoing personality and quirky little smiles are a constant source of entertainment! He's a great sleeper, and has been known to sleep the day away more than once or play happily in his crib for hours after waking from a nap (which Mommy doesn't mind, of course). ;D

Little Tait is just 10 1/2 months older than Miles, and Miles loves playing with his big brother! He's picked up a few of Little Tait's favorite words - "fish" and "uh-oh" - in addition to "Mama" and "Dadda." Every time something falls to the floor, Little Tait utters a concerned "uh-oh," and Miles echoes with an adorable, almost subconscious "uh-oh" of his own.

Little Tait is extremely attentive to Miles, and constantly brings him toys, or makes sure he has food.

"No Little Tait, Miles can't eat almonds because he doesn't have any teeth, but thank you so much for sharing with him!"

Little Tait gets very worried when Miles gets into something he shouldn't and comes running to find me with his signature concerned expression (his lips have this adorable way of forming into a little "O" when something scares, bothers, or excites him), pointing in Miles' direction and yelling "Mom! Mom!" to get my attention. : )

I look forward to watching these little guys grow up together as best friends!

A few highlights from Miles' first year....

Meeting his big brother for the first time, a few minutes after he was born

Meeting Great-Grandma Ruth (my paternal grandmother, who is one of the kindest people I know)

Meeting Great-Grandpa "Pop" (my paternal grandfather)

Meeting Great-Grandpa Ed and Great-Grandma Betty (my maternal grandparents)

Playing with and learning from his big brother

Watching the home construction project from the safety of his playpen

Going hiking near Seward with Mommy and Daddy
(photo by Peter Serven)

In his Auntie Ashley's wedding
(photo by Erin)

Meeting Gramps (Tait's maternal grandfather)

Eating rocks on a rocky Alaskan beach near Kachemak Bay

Buried in the sand on a sandy South Carolina beach while visiting the grandparents

Meeting and playing with the Bradrick boys
(Can you believe they're all four looking at the camera? Well, more or less....
And some of them are even smiling!)

Playing outside with his brother in the driveway

Eating dirt, leaves, sticks, and rocks - obviously a favorite activity of his

A few pictures from his birthday (we'll be celebrating Sunday)...

Finding a banana that his brother dropped under the table and subsequently mutilating and eating every single edible bite (the peel wasn't very yummy, apparently)

Ah yes ... the old game of Put-the-Refrigerator-Magnets-in-the-Ice-Cream-Maker, a favorite of theirs!

S'Miles giving one of his engaging smiles during a lunch of pureed spaghetti

Doing his evil eye "sniffy" face - what a ham!

Happy Birthday S'Miles!!!

A little bit of Zimmerman Family Blog Trivia:

The background for the header of this blog was captured on the way into the hospital in Anchorage early on the morning that Miles was born.