Update on my Neilson boys

Let's start with Ryan - He seems to be enjoying Cincinnati so far. He enjoys the job and said he works with a really great group of people. He loves that he came out here with his good friend Joe and can't wait for the weather to warm up so they can get out on the golf courses. He is really happy that we ended up in a town house instead of the house we originally wanted because now we don't have to shovel snow or mow a yard. We've had a few good snow storms since moving here and hearing the plow in our driveway early in the morning is a welcomed noise!

Ryan is SO helpful with the boys. He often takes Brady out of the house on Saturdays to give me and Dane some quiet time to sleep or snuggle without interruption. And, he knows that when I've had a rough day, I just need to be alone for a while, so he'll take the boys and tell me to go to Target or to the mall or something. That little bit of ME time is JUST what I need sometimes!! I sure do love him and I'm grateful at how involved he is with the boys. 

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Brady...OHHHH, Brady! Where do I start with this little guy? How can one of my greatest joys also be one of my greatest frustrations?! He's definitely been having a hard time lately. We're experiencing a lot of tantrums and general disobedience. I don't know how much of it is due to the move, the age, or the new brother...I think it's all just created a perfect storm and we've definitely had a rough month or two. He also just stopped taking his nap during the day, but he's so tired by the afternoon that it makes him extra grumpy. It's been hard on me because we were so close and I've always had so much fun with him, but now I feel like I'm just frustrated with him half of the time. 

Luckily, when he's not grumpy, he is still the sweetest boy and he is very helpful and loving. He still asks to snuggle with me every day, which just melts my heart. He's such a good brother, he's always helping by grabbing diapers, replacing pacifiers, holding Dane, or singing to him. When Dane is crying, Brady usually starts singing "hush little baby" in the softest, sweetest voice. He knows all the words and it actually works, Dane usually does stop crying to listen to his older brother. It's so precious. He definitely loves being a big brother. At church the other day, someone held Dane for a few minutes and Brady got very upset and kept telling her "Don't take my baby!" 

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Dane is 2.5 months old now and he is such a sweet baby. He still just sleeps through most of the day...I'd say he probably sleeps about 18 hours a day. He'll wake up for an hour here and there, but then he drifts off again. He sleeps great at night too. I usually feed him at 9:30 and we go to bed. He'll sleep for about 6 hours and wake up around 3 or 4 to eat again. Then he goes back to sleep for a few hours before he starts grunting at 5 or 6 am. He's done this since the very beginning, always waking at that time with gas. It's pretty weird. He doesn't seem bothered by gas as much throughout the day anymore though, so that's good. Anyway, he sleeps in a bassinet near our bed, so when he starts grunting, I pull him up and hold him for an hour or so and he'll sleep a little more soundly that way. He eats again at 6:30 or 7 and then we usually wake up. He's such a happy little guy, he smiles and coos a lot. I love hearing his happy little noises. 

I think we got our boys in the perfect order. Brady had really bad reflux and was colicky so he cried all the time. It was really hard but I'm SO grateful that we lived with Ryan's parents at the time because we had the extra hands to help out when we needed it. Now, with our second baby and a cross-country move, we knew we wouldn't have much help...so it's PERFECT that Dane is a more calm, quiet, go-with-the-flow kind of baby. When we needed the help, we had it. When we wouldn't have help, we didn't need it as much. Thank goodness!

ANYWAY, that's the update on my Neilson boys. They're all doing great and adjusting to life in Ohio. I love them all so much!!