Life is a Highway

Our first road trip as a family of four was a success!!!  We made a quick trip down south to LA to celebrate our friends, Dan & Carla's, wedding.  I'm not sure we were exactly nervous taking a 10-week-old and 3-year-old on a six-hour drive, we just didn't know what to expect.

To our surprise, it was a great drive... both coming and going.  TJ was a champ.  He played and entertained himself much of the time he wasn't asleep.  He did talk the whole time he was awake, but there was no fussing.  We passed the time singing "Life is a Highway," "Pirate Flag," and Kenny's new "Coconuts Song" (as TJ calls it.)  We also chased down all the Mack trucks like we were Lightning McQueen.  Baby Frankie was a gem.  He slept 90% of the trip... waking up 4 hours in so he could eat.  It was awesome!

When we got there, we weren't there for long.  It was a very quick trip, but we managed to pack in a lot of fun and playtime for the boys.  (The big Frankie, too) :)  While Daddy and Uncle Justin went to the wedding, Mommy and the boys stayed with Auntie Ann and Baby William at their new home.  It was a great bonding time for all of us.

The next day, it was time for play.  Joiey & Craig were kind enough to open up their home to all the families for fun in the pool and backyard.  TJ LOVED playing Superheroes with River and Sammy, and it was so wonderful to meet everyone's new additions.  Let's just say -- the babies have taken over!!!

 

After a long fun day, it was off to Nana's house for some quality visiting before heading to visit Auntie Linda & more playtime at Uncle Joey's & Aunt Tara's home in Sierra Madre.  TJ had a blast playing with his cousins, and we were lucky to visit with a lot of Daddy's family so they could meet Baby Frankie.  We were all sad to leave, but we know we'll see everyone again soon.

Now, our jet-setting family is off to Colorado.  TJ can't wait to get there to stay with Grandma & Grandpa, and play with his besties!

Double-Stuffed

From Baby Frankie's weight, to doctor's visits to family visits... we've had double doses of everything in this past month.  Let's start with Baby Frankie:

At two months old, this kid just keeps growing... and growing.  He's doubled his weight in his first 8 weeks... weighing in at more than 12 pounds at his two month appointment. He's also added 2 inches in length.  Dr. Berston says he's strong, healthy boy.

Unfortunately, there's been one downside to his monster growth.  The doctor believes the accelerated growth is what's causing his acid reflux and extreme gassiness.  The poor baby's digestive system just can't keep up.  Frankie was diagnosed with acid reflux a few weeks ago, after some really bad days of screaming and crying, Mommy knew something wasn't right, so we took him to the doctor.  Now that we have the right dosing of Zantac twice a day, we seem to have the reflux managed, and he's back to his happy, smiley self.  Thank goodness!!!

A few days after Mommy took Frankie to the doctor, we were back at the doctor's office, this time, for TJ.  Poor little guy had tonsillitis and bronchitis.  After a round of antibiotics and a few days at home getting breathing treatments, he was back to normal, too!  But, I don't think Mommy's recovered just yet. :)

Earlier in the month, Aunt G was able to make it out to SF and meet Baby Frankie.  As always, the time went by too fast, but we had a great time, and the boys were spoiled.  We took Aunt G down to Fisherman's Wharf and had lunch at the Rainforest Café.  We also celebrated Mother's Day at the Cliff House when she was here, but the most fun TJ had was on our kitchen floor... playing Demolition Derby with Aunt G and ALL his cars!  We can't wait to see her again in a week when we fly to Colorado.

The weekend after Aunt G's visit, Uncle Joey and Aunt Tara came up to meet Baby Frankie and play with TJ.  It was a quick trip, but they still got in a lot of playtime and spoiling for both the boys, and it was great to see them.

We're actually going to see them this weekend, too.  Tonight, we're road-tripping down to SoCal to celebrate Dan & Carla's wedding, meet Baby Will, and visit family and friends.  We're excited to see everyone and introduce them to our new, not-so-little addition!

This past weekend, it was double the baseball fun.  Mommy was able to score two tickets to the Rockies-Giants game and fireworks show Friday night.  Since all of us couldn't go, it was a special Daddy & TJ night... only Batman ended up going. :)  TJ had a great time cheering for Tulo and eating hot dogs, churros and cotton candy with Daddy.

On Sunday, Daddy's work had a picnic/BBQ on Stanford's campus before the Stanford-UCLA baseball game.  It was a fun day for everyone!

Boy Wonders

We're not seeing any signs of slowing in the Martin household... especially when it comes to Baby Frankie's appetite!  It's no secret this baby loves to eat, but it became even more evident at his one-month checkup.  He weighed in at 10 lbs 10 oz... that's 4 pounds more than his first doctor visit (since his weight dropped slightly after birth.)  Baby Frankie went from the 18th percentile in weight to the 60th, and he achieved a weight gain typically seen in 3 months, in just 5 weeks.  Dr. Berston was quite impressed!  The doctor was also blown away Frankie's strength -- saying he has the head and neck control of a two month old.  Afterall, he better be strong to carry all that weight he's packing on!  Other than eating a lot, Baby Frankie is staying awake longer, and becoming more and more alert.  He follows our voices and tracks our faces, and he especially loves to listen to his brother.  He's also giving us REAL smiles, which simply can melt hearts.

 

TJ came to the doctor with us so he could get his 3-year checkup (he missed his initial one because he was sick on his birthday!)  TJ was such a good big brother -- helping Baby Frankie and holding his hand while the baby got his Hep B shot.  It was so sweet.  TJ was also a big boy at his doctor.  He's perfectly healthy as well, and Dr. Berston was blown away by TJ's language and comprehension skills, saying he is at the level of a 5 year old.  It's so fun to hear him have conversations with us, his baby brother, and he loves to carry out conversations between his cars, superheroes and other toys.  He knows all his shapes, colors, and letters.  TJ is very into "spelling" out the words he sees all over the place (street signs, the grocery store, everywhere) and asking what that spells.  It's amazing. His teachers at school say not only does he know all these things in English, he knows them in Russian as well.  They'll ask him what a shape or color is in Russian, and he'll answer back correctly in the Russian language.  Crazy boy.  While at the doctor, TJ got his annual TB test.  It took him by surprise, and when we were driving to school after his appointment, he told me the next time he goes to the doctor, he's going to wear a long sleeve shirt, so he doesn't get poked in the arm.  Now, that's deductive reasoning! 

It's been a fun past week around here.  Grandma AND Pa flew in last Thursday night (Frankie's one month birthday) for a short trip.  It was wonderful that Pa came out to meet his newest grandson and see him hold Baby Frankie.  TJ loved having both Ga & Pa out here... not just because they made a special trip to the toy store where he could pick out a talking Batman!  TJ snuggled with Grandma, played Avengers with Pa, took them to In-N-Out and his favorite breakfast place, and the beach for a quick trip to show Pa the ocean.  No matter how long they stay, it's always too short, but we all cherished the time we had with Grandma & Grandpa.

On Sunday, we packed up the car and headed over to the East Bay to meet Gianna and her family at Tilden Regional Park.  It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time with our friends exploring the giant area.  TJ & Gi had a blast riding the carousel, and playing outside.  TJ also loved feeding the cows, goats and sheep at the little farm at the park.  It was nice for us Colorado folks to experience some "country" in the middle of the city!

This week we plan to play it low-key... and next week we're excited for Aunt G to come visit!