Go, Titans!

When we had Zach at the hospital, we left with a pretty cool bag of items that was provided by the Tennessee Titans football team.  The diaper bag included a blanket, diapers, wipes, a rattle, and this cute onesie.  Obviously we blew through the diapers and wipes pretty quickly and he has been playing with the rattle for a bit, but he was finally big enough to fit in the onesie!

[Unfortunately, not long after this picture, he had a HUGE blowout and this white onesie isn't so white any longer!]

Monkey Boy

 Zach's been trying to sit on his own for a little bit, but still needs a hand to stay up. It's kind of comical to see him teeter this way and that and then fall forward on his belly.

"Whew! Sitting up is hard work." 

Friday Funday

Zach was just lounging on the bed, ready for the day!  What a cutie pie!

Here's Nathan about the same age, over Labor Day weekend in September 2012.

Taking Care of Brother

Once that Nathan realized that this was a permanent situation -- having another person to compete with our attentions -- he has embraced Zach with all the brotherly love that you would hope for.  He likes to talk to him, tickle him, play with him, and will even sing to him when Zach's fussy. (It's super sweet!) Often in the mornings, he will take Zachy on the bed and entertain him while Barry and I are doing the last minute things to be ready to leave.

[In this picture, Nathan was NOT pleased that I took it. "No, Momma! I don't want a picture."]

Two for Tuesday

The look on his face!  

Why are we standing with snow falling on our faces? 

This is not very fun.

Zachy's first real snow day - January 22, 2016 (6 1/2 months old)

Nathan's first big snow - Feb. 2, 2013 (almost 1 year old)

More Winter Fun

We found that someone had given us a cute little snow suit for Zachy.

("What is going on?")

Happy Snow Day from the Stevens!

Playing in the Snow

Daddy came home early from work and we decided to get out in the snow.

"Whatcha doing Daddy?!"

Oh no! Nathan got hit by a snow ball.

Daddy tried to show Nathan how to make snow angels.

DUCK!!! 

Here comes the snow ball!

Snow Day #2

Thursday was also a no school day, but we were able to get to work and daycare for most of the day.  But, Friday came and the threat of accumulated snow was so great that not only did schools close but my office closed too.

Woo hoo!

 By mid morning the ground was covered and it was still coming down.

The boys played together and we watched shows again.

Look at it now! 

At the end of the day, it was reported that Nashville got 8 inches of snow!!!

Sleeping Sweetie

I just couldn't resist snapping this picture.  How serene he is!

We've been trying to transition Zach to his crib since the Rock-N-Play is only supposed to hold up to 25 pounds. Zach isn't that big yet (just 17 pounds at the 6 month check-up) but we know that it's coming! He is very resistant to sleeping in the crib and while we can get him to start off there, it's just for about an hour and then he's back in this.  One of these days...

Snow Day!

Guess what?! It snowed overnight and schools were closed.

The roads were a bit sketchy and since Barry had to be the boss today, he left us at home and headed in to work about as early as he could to be sure to be there on time.  The boys and I had a great day together, watching shows and hanging out.  So, Zachy and I had two days in a row together!

Two for Tuesday

So this little guy was running a fever and not feeling so well and I got to spend the day with him snuggling and trying to help him get over whatever it was.  Poor thing!

Here's Nathan at the same age... 6 months old, August 2012

Cutie Pie

Awwwwww!

Handsome Honeys

It's kind of a big deal that Nathan is wearing jeans to church as he has become more and more proficient at going potty. He has been doing so well with telling us when he needs to go and not having accidents.

He has decided to close his eyes every time I take a picture. It's crazy... You'll see this in almost all the pictures that I'm taking now of him.

What a great group of guys! :)

Boys' Hangout

The bathroom is the best of hangouts, don't you think?!

The boys have been spending a lot of time there ever since we started focused potty-training. I won't deny that it was one of the hardest things to be consistent on, but due to Barry's efforts, I think we can safely say it's worked!

Nathan loved going in and reading during his visits every half hour. I'm not sure why it worked this time (third time's the charm?), but we've been rewarding him and he likes it!

Zachy Selfies

Did you know that babies are into taking selfies?!?  Ha ha!

He did pose pretty good for this one. (Momma, I got this!)

With big brother

Many faces...

Zach was playing so contentedly that I figured to get a few pictures. It amazes me how he makes a different face on each one!

Oooooo! Two toofies have made their appearance. This is significantly earlier than Nathan so I'm not sure what to expect. Guess we'll see....

Two for Tuesday

Six months old and ready to try some bites! Yum yum!

Yep, he can get used to this!!!

Christmas again?!

Mmmmm this gift is yummy!!

Showing off what was in the gifts

Christmas came again to our household as gifts from my side of the family came in. Nathan continues to ask why it can't be Christmas any more and gets frustrated at our answers. But today he was super excited to see the box and open the gifts. Thanks Vernon clan!

Sunday Fun

Isn't he just too cute in his toboggan?!  The weather has been so fickle lately and it's hard to know what it'll be like. Despite the cold that continues to hang on, Zach has been in pretty good spirits. The doctor said that he may just struggle the entire winter and come out stronger. I keep praying for relief. He sounds pitiful. 

He's 6 Months Old!

Well, it isn't the best picture, but on the fly this AM I snapped a pic of Zach.

6 MONTHS OLD already!!!

We'll have all the stats next week, but my guess is he's passed Nathan's 6 month weight.

We're still praying for him to grow out of reflux, but he's still struggling. 

Love this boy!

Nathan, 6 months old, September 2012

Celebrate!

Celebrate good times. Come on!

Nathan only had ONE accident at daycare today!!!!  Woo hoo!!!!

We decided it was worth celebrating so we had pizza and watched Curious George during dinner.

Hurray!

It has been a lo-o-o-o-o-ng week.  We started last Friday with underwear only.  I don't think there was any times on Friday where he went in the toilet. Saturday and Sunday didn't have much success either. Monday at daycare he went through all the 6 sets of clothes we set and then 2 more from daycare.  Barry was at his wit's end and we were ready to throw in the towel.  Tuesday morning he peed on himself before we even left the house. But.... it started to click. 

He's very anxious and has been quite fearful about things and also wanting to be held.  We think because he's so focused on potty-training he's struggling with controlling his emotions.  He actually acted out quite a bit at daycare today despite his success.  Please keep on praying for us.

Playing with Keys

He is doing so well with holding things!  Yay Zachy!

Two for Tuesday

Zach's been working on his rolling.  He started on his belly and then rolled over leaving room for Nathan to slide in and play too.

Another project that we've been working on is thank you notes for Christmas gifts.  Can you tell what these will be?! It's an animal that says neigh.