Birthdays, Boys and Poop

 Todd had a birthday, shout HOORAY!  Yes, I have a primary song running through my head right now.

So Todd turned 33 a little over a week ago.  Earlier in the month we went to a Jack White concert as an early celebration, which was a lot of fun.  When his birthday actually rolled around we did what we normally do and kept it low key.  I was going to set up a date night but he wanted me to make him his Reese's cream cheese pie (actually two of them so that we could have leftovers) and a crab steampot for dinner.  We aren't big cake people around our house.

 The boys were so excited all day.  They planned on surprising him when he walked in the door, but that day he had an emergency patient with an abscess that walked in at 4:30 so he ended up being a lot later than he planned.  We didn't know he was going to be late so the boys kept hiding behind the couch asking every two seconds when he was going to be home.

 When he came home the boys hid behind the couch but jumped out before he was inside and started running around in circles yelling "Surprise!"   They completely missed the surprise part. :)

 They watched him blow out his 33 candles on the one cake and two on the other.

 There wasn't anything big that he wanted this year so I gave him stuff that he could use.  We love to read and he is always asking me which of my books he should read.  I ended up ordering him a bunch of books that he will like so he doesn't have to always read my chick stuff.  :)  He also loves ancient Roman history and so I gave him the 6 volumes of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  I think he is good for the year now.  The boys gave him Root Beer and Hershey Kisses. 

 Fisher is really into Alvin & the Chipmunks.  When there aren't musical card with the boy chipmunks, what's a guy to do?  Fisher decorated the card with his swirls, hearts and stars.

 He loved his crab.  So did the boys.  And me.  We are really excited to be moving to the coast with good seafood. ( I still can't stand fish, but crab and shrimp are definitely favorites.)

Tucker LOVES his rocking horse.  This was given to Fisher by G&G Church when he was just a little guy.  All three of the boys have used it and loved it at one time or another.

 He loves being outside, looking outside, watching trucks, and breaking the blinds. 

 The only thing cuter than Tucker looking out the window is Cooper and Tucker looking out the window.

 Tucker loves this blanket.  He still sucks his fingers and is definitely a blanket guy just like his brothers have been.

 He will be 18 months in 6 days.  I can't believe it.  He starts nursery next week which just blows my mind.  He still seems like such a baby to me.  He is teething like crazy.  His four front teeth are finally in along with two of his molars.  Now he has five more teeth cutting.  He is not sleeping well which means I am not sleeping well.
Nor is Todd.

 When he isn't climbing on tables, going up and down the stairs, trying to say new words, playing with toys and his brothers or eating, he is playing in his poop.  No joke.  Here he has a whole fistful of it.

 A different day he smeared it on the wall.  He has now done that three times.  This is one of the more mild cases and Todd happened to be home which is why I able to take pictures.  Aren't you so glad?

 He just sticks his hand down the back of his pants and pulls it out.

 And then he gets it in his mouth and on his face.  Disgusting, right?!?  Now you know what I have been dealing with the last couple of weeks.  What is really gross is a couple times I will see the poop on the wall and on his face but his hand will be relatively clean except for under the nails...yeah....I think he sucked his fingers.
So gross.  I am so going to use this post against him when he is older and the "you lived in MY stomach for 10 months" no longer holds any weight.  

 He did this FIVE times last week. If he was in his crib longer than a few minutes after he woke up, this is what I would find.  One time he did it while playing in the pack & play.  So basically we have learned that he is going to be wearing zip up sleepers 24 hours a day until we are through this phase.  Who cares if it is still a humid 100 degrees outside?

 None of my other boys did this.  It makes me want to puke.

 Cooper has a hobby much less disturbing than digging out poop,  He is obsessed with blowing up balloons.  He will literally carry around a balloon all day long just blowing it up and letting it out over and over again.

 He loves wearing his hat.

 He is also in an in between phase right now where he is no longer a toddler and is turning into a little boy.  At the same time, he still wears diapers because I was holding off potty training him until after our trip out west this summer and then after we moved.  Now I wish I would have done it earlier because he seems so old to me.  Only two more weeks until we move and then I will get on it.  Or I could just hold off another six months and do him and Tucker at the same time.  Haha.  J/K.  Kind of.  If there was any hope of Tucker being ready now I would totally do it at the same time but judging by the pictures above, I don't think it is safe to let Tucker near any toilets, bodily fluids or fecal matter for a little while.

 This past week has been so exhausting.  We finally took away Beedee the blankie.  He stopped asking for it after two or three days but it has severely affected his sleeping.  He will not nap without it.  Period.  No naps in about 8 or 9 days except for this picture where we walked to pick up Fisher when it was 95 degrees out and he fell asleep in the stroller and then on the couch for about 20 mins.

Night time is hard for him to fall asleep and he wakes up in the night or early morning and can't fall back to sleep since he doesn't have his stinky blanket to gag himself with.  (He sucks on it.)  What we are left with is a very grumpy, stubborn little kid.  He is angry when he wakes up, angry through the morning and then he steps it up a notch or two for the late afternoon.  Evenings he becomes downright evil until it is past his bedtime.  Then he turns into nice, sweet Cooper who wants to cuddle with us down on the couch because otherwise he just kicks his door for and hour straight.  We gave in for a little while but now Fisher & Tucker have adjusted to falling asleep to Cooper's tantrums.  Music to our ears in the Church household.
I can't wait to be done with this.
Todd is convinced he is done with kids.
I am convinced I am done with kids for a year or two.
We'll see who wins.

 Cooper is really into drawing and will grab any piece of paper he can get his hands on, including important ones that Mom & Dad need.

 What the house looks like when the costumes come out.

 Brothers in masks.

 I don't have a whole lot of pictures of Fisher by himself since he is back at school but here is a picture he drew for me.

 When he isn't coloring me fun pictures he is writing lines to remind him not to steal gum from Walmart.  This paper caused a lot of drama.  You can see his frustration and stress near the bottom as the writing starts becoming unstable and letters start turning backwards.

And here are the pictures you have been waiting for.  Life around our house.

Cooper tackling Fisher.

 Fisher taking down Cooper.

 Tucker looking on, learning moves to use in the future.

 At least this time no one was crying.

 I have no problem with them wrestling when they aren't hurting each other.  That is a rare so I enjoy the good times.

Sometimes I joke about having a little pack of wild dogs but there are days where it doesn't feel like that much of a joke...

 Cooper and Tucker on the prowl.

 All growling at each other.  Even Tucker was joining in.

The end.