Santa, please to meet you...

We had our first visit with Santa!  My baby did awesome.  He sat like a good little boy and let us take his photo.  Scrumpy was not as agreeable, but then again since his first visit to Santa he has never seemed to enjoy the tradition.  I wonder what he asked for.  I hope he asked for diapers....

Turkey Day

This was Possum's first Thanksgiving and officially his first holiday gathering where we hustle from family to family.  Like most things that he does, he handled it very well, going with the flow.  I look forward to this time each year becuase I get to take my traditional turkey platter photo.  The origins of this tradition date back 2 years ago.  At Scrumpy's first Thanksgiving, I made note that he weighed as much as the turkey we were cooking.  That thought inspired the photo of Scrumpy on the turkey platter, much to Gramma's dismay.  Getting ready to go to Gramma's, I remembered this tradition, and was looking forward to the photo shoot.  Yes, it is probably a very good thing I did not have girls. 

After Grammas, we headed to Nana and Papa's.  He spent some quality time with Tink before dinner and then a brief photo shoot with Scrumpy.  I think we were more exhausted than the boys.  All in all, a great day!  Awesome food, time with family, healthy babies...who could ask for more???

           

This is BEAR territory

Patrick's birthday happened to land on BIG GAME day.  For those of you not familar with the term, it is the big game between Cal and Stanfurd.  Getting ready to celebrate with a Crossett family outing, Patrick pulled out his "birthday sweater".  Note, this sweater was blue, cream, grey, and white.  I promptly informed him that today the family would be wearing blue and gold.  He had the option to wear red, but then he would have to walk on the other side of the street.  By the way, the better team won....

3 months old!

My baby is 3 months old!  Crazy!  He weighs in at a healthy 14 lbs, 2 oz, not sure if that is big or not considering that this was a home weighing.  Some of the cool things he does:

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  LOVES to talk (read coo).  I can only imagine what he will be like at 2.  I may never have a moment of silence again.  Depeche Mode really knew what they were singing about
  
  
  
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  LOVES to smile.  Mostly at Mama, but we are now starting to share smiles with others.  I love the toothless grins.
  
  
  
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  LOVES big brother.  Thank goodness the feeling is mutual!  Every morning they lay next to each other and share special time, staring at each other and communicating.  It is about the sweetest thing I ever did see.
  
  
  
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  Practically sitting up on his own.  You can tell he is trying really hard.  He also does amazing leg lifts.  My kid is going to have awesome lower abs.
  
  
  
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  Sleeps pretty much through the night.  Of course, I'm am no longer sleeping straight.  I am not sure if I ever will again.
  
  
  

I know I am biased, but I do think he is the sweetest little boy ever.  It is going to be really hard going back to work.  Blast you shoe addiction!!!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is the ultimate holiday for kids, and being almost 3 months old does not exclude you from the festivities.  Friday prior, we were lucky enough to test drive our costume in a Halloween parade at Scrumpy's school.  Being almost 75 degrees it was quite challenging to be wrapped up all cozy, but our little heat monster took it all in stride.  On Saturday, we went to Nana and Papa's house to trick or treat with cousins.   Of course, by the time we wanted to go out, neither of my boys wanted to put their costumes on.  Thank goodness for "Plan B".  While the number of houses we visited were few (only four I believe), each of the houses gave full sized candy bars!  Maybe that's why my boys were so cranky in the evening...the down from the sugar high.

Who is the cutest dog ever?

Pocahontas and Dog

Getting set to hit the street!

Making sure I was all set to go

First attempt at cute cousin photo

Wine Tasting

This little guy is less than 3 months old and I think he has been wine tasting at least 3 times! I guess we are training them early. For Patrick's birthday this year, we decided to go all out and get a limo to do the tastings right. While big brother spent the day with his aunties, Possum got to ride his first limo! All in all he was a very good boy, taking in all the sights, being very good lunch, and more importantly going to be early so the adults could enjoy the evening.

When Good Moms Go Bad

I could not help playing dress up with my baby boy one day.  Isn't he the cutest pirate ever?  Don't worry little one, Mama is going back to work soon so the tormenting will stop soon.

I am SKELETOR!

Possum went to his first pumpkin patch a few weekends ago. I am not sure how much he enjoyed it as he spent most of the time in Baby Ergo. One would argue though...any time he is butted up against Mama is a good time. He also went on his first tractor ride where Scrumpy proceeded to throw hay in his face. Not maliciously, but more out of excitement. All in all, a good day.

You can't see me but that is Mama and me

On the tractor ride

2 months stats

Weight- 12lbs 2.5 oz- 75th percentile
Length- 23.5 inches- 70th percentile
Weight to length ratio- 30th percentile
Head circumference- 40.2 cm- 50th percentile
 
Note that in length he went from the 25th to the 70th percentile.  I have a feeling he was under measured last time as there is no way he grew 2.5 inches in a month!  Possum is now "talking", cooing all over the place and loves to smile!  Its nice to know we have a happy baby.  He is very alert and loves to look around, especially at his mama.  He isn't as big a fan of swing as big brother, but then again, perhaps we were just lucky the first time around. 
 
Possum and big, big brother Gilligan met for the first time this week and all in all the sniffing ritual went well.  Between Gilligan and Scrumpy, Possum is going to need a laid back personality to survive.

I Heart Big Brother

My new favorite pastime is sitting next to big brother while we watch Backyardigans...who is this Pablo dude anyway???

Catching some sun

This past weekend we got some good quality time in the sun.  Being a bit more fair than his brother, and also not having quite as much hair, we have to be much more conscious of bringing at hat with us when we soak up the sun.  While it was a 100 degrees at home, San Francisco was a perfect 75 or so.  Here a few photos from  the weekend:

This is me trying to take a photo while he is sleeping on my lap.  Not bad eh!

Me and Daddy

Crossett Boy Sandwich

For the most part, Scrumpy is a great big brother.  He says "hi baby" all the time and has even given me my own special nickname, "Arsh".  Yet, when it's feeding time, he cannot seem to let us be.  He always wants to sit RIGHT THERE!  I am surrounded by Crossett boys.  If I ever had any issues with personal space, they are all but decimated.  I think we have managed to fit all three of us in the same 12 inches of living space more than once.

Family Photo

It's really sad that it took over a month before we finally got our act together to take a Crossett Family photo.  This is officially part of our first photo shoot.  Holiday photos this year are going to be challenging!

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Nana, Tink and Possum

Auntie Lisa and Auntie Cathy

My first amusement park

We took the little guys out to Gilroy Gardens this past Labor Day.  Thank goodness the weather was pleasantly cool.  While Scrumpy took advantage of the rides and what not, Possum enjoyed a little nap in the sun. 

He even experienced his first thirll ride on the ferris wheel, although he wasn't overly impressed as evidenced by the photo.

One Month Old Stats

It is hard to believe that it has been a month!  My how time flies when you are sleepy.  Here is the low down:

Weight- 10lbs 3 oz- 60th percentile
Length- 21 inches- 25th percentile
Weight to length ratio- 80th percentile
Head circumference- 38 cm- 50th percentile

Our baby is all over the charts!  However, considering how squirmy they can be, I have a feeling some of these numbers will change dramatically at the 2 month visit.  Despite that, Possum is doing wonderfully!  He is strong in the neck and legs, and much to the wonderment of his Filipino mom, "yes, a pink baby is a healthy baby not one with a rash all over him."  Perhaps the most impressive part of the doctor's visit was when they gave him his shot, he did not cry.  He did YOWL, but afterwards, he just looked at me like.."that stung!".  I think I have another tough guy in the making.

The days go by exceedingly slowly, however, the weeks fly by!  I don't know if it's time moving quickly, or I am just too dang tired to notice, but in any case, it is hard to believe we have been a family of four for a month, and yet, I cannot seem to imagine Crossett family without my little guy.

Witching Hour

It is all slowly coming back to me.  I forgot about the "witching hour".  It happens early evening where the baby cries and cries and cries and there is NOTHING you can do to console them.  You change them, you feed them, you burp them, and carry them and they just want to cry on end! 

What's better this time around is having a two year old that looks at the baby crying and either decides that moment to cause his own type of mischief or to look at the baby in disgust as if the crying is just beneath him, regardless of the fact that he will probably have his own crying fit when its time for bed. 

I am not sure if being parents has made us love each other more because we had these beautiful babies, or need each other more to keep company during the cacophony that has become our lives.

Trip to Santana Row

Having to stay at home during the week, we cherish our weekend outings.  Unfortunately, it was super hot this Saturday so while we were able to go out and explore, the over 100 degree temperatures made it challenging. 

Another thing I noticed was that while I am the family photographer, it prevents me from capturing any moments with my babies.  This is the first photo I've taken with both my boys. They are both carrying the expression of..."DANG IT'S HOT!"

Don't tell big brother

that I am already borrowing his toys!  If he finds out I took bi-i-cle out for a spin, i would be in big trouble!

First Bath at Home

Okay, so he DOES NOT LIKE naked time! He hates, hates, hates getting his diaper changed. He is normally such a sweet, mellow baby, but once you take his diaper off, he is all screams! So if this is what he is like changing diaper, we knew going completely naked was going to make him rip, roaring mad!

Because his umblical cord was still attached, we could not submerse him in water. Here he is with his first bath at home. Note how completely upset he was! No worries, once he was bundled up, he was fine.

...or you can call me Awesome

Okay, so Gramma doesn't like Possum. She thinks it connotates a animal no one likes. I told her, she could call me Awesome instead. That's right...the Awesome Possum!

Meet Possum!

Ethan James Tiojanco Crossett

Born August 3, 2009 at 3:54pm

8lbs 1 oz

20.5 inches

Distinguishing features include a distinctive birthmark on his right cheek...and I don't mean facial. He has very long fingers and very long toes. Some say he looks like big brother Scrumpy, aka Daniel, however, I think he is his own man.

So why Possum? We were toying around with a nickname to suit that of someone whose brother is named Scrumpy. As parents, we have short term memory loss and while Scrumpy may have kept us up at night, we have seemed to forgotten that useful piece of information. Ethan is definitely nocturnal. Just when we have decided to settle in for the evening, he is up and raring to go!

On top of that, Ethan came out with very long finger and toe nails. We are talking, we had to clip them on day one! As I have already mentioned, he has very long fingers and very long toes and grips you with them, especially when he's mad. The combination of his nocturnal tendencies and physical attributes caused Patrick to start calling him Possum. Actually, he first started calling him a velociraptor, but that just isn't cute. So Possum he is. He may turn into a Poss when he gets older, but I am betting more on EJ. Until then, he is our little marsupial.