Update on the kids

I can't even take the time to tell you how incredibly busy I am.  Seriously, people.  I'm writing this on work time, which I shouldn't be doing, but I really want to write down a few things that are happening with the kids.

Baby Boy:

• Yesterday (October 2nd) we discovered that he has his first tooth!  He loves to chew on our hands (always had) and so I let him chew my fingers and then I felt it.  Crazy!  Baby Girl didn't get hers until she was over 9 months old.  Yet ANOTHER thing that shows that they're different kids.
• One thing they aren't so different about is their behavior when teething--you can't tell.  At least with this one (and I hope it continues for the others), we had no idea that Baby Boy was teething.  He's always put stuff in his mouth and drooled, so it wasn't much different.  Yay!
• Another cold has hit our house.  Blech.  Baby Girl started it, shared with her brother (it has been fairly mild for him so far), and just today, 1.5 weeks after Baby Girl first got sick, I'm feeling rough.  Not horrible, but not great, either.  Yesterday I had such a sore throat that it hurt to talk or swallow for a few hours.  Today I'm just a little stuffy and a little cough-y and just feeling sort of run down.  Nothing major, though.
• Sleep improved...for one or two nights.  Seriously, baby sleep is going to drive me insane.  We got through a stretch of waking 5-6 times per night and were down to 2-3.  I don't know why, but he continues to wake up right as we're going to bed, around 10:00 or a little before.  Sunday night he woke up at that time, then slept until 3.  Woo!  Monday night he went down at his normal time (7:30ish) and didn't wake up until 2:00.  Those were both really good.  He was back to waking at 10, 2, 5 last night, though.  So incredibly inconsistent.  His normal daytime sleep is: 15-30 minute nap in the morning (this is usually 45 minutes at home) and then 1.5-2.5 hour nap in the afternoon.  He sometimes will fall asleep in the car on the way home and if he doesn't, is pretty sleepy before 7:00.  We're still trying to figure him out, though.
• He can freely roll both directions at will.  He can get his butt up in the air and can push way up on his arms, but hasn't yet figure out how to combine the two.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him crawling in the next month.

Baby Girl:

• We've been having trouble with her not napping and peeing in her Pull Up on the weekends, so I bribed her with a marshmallow on Saturday.  One if she napped and one if she kept her Pull Up dry (I'd suspected that she was peeing right before we went and got her in the morning).  She did it!  So we did it again on Sunday and it worked again.  I told her that if she kept her Pull Up dry all night long Sunday night that she could have another marshmallow and you know what?  It worked Sunday and Monday nights.  She did pee in her Pull Up last night, but it was a very small amount.  We're finally getting somewhere with her overnight potty training!
• Her behavior has gotten a lot better.  We had an incident where she slapped a one year old on the cheeks at the sitter (she still says she was trying to make him laugh, which I believe) and we've had to be a lot more careful about her being alone with her brother, but she just wants to play.  We talk a lot about how strong she is compared to the baby.  I'm not looking forward to Baby Boy being mobile, but in this instance, it'll be nice when he can run away from her if she's bugging him.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) he typically busts into belly laughs when she plays rough with him.
• Bedtime is still rough.  She wants snuggles and we end up spending far more time with her at bedtime than we'd prefer.  She only goes without crying at bedtime about half of the nights.  So frustrating!  Why don't my babies sleep???  I LOVE SLEEP!

Still alive, but definitely worse for the wear

Hello.

Yeah, it's been awhile.

Not much...how 'bout you?

Oh wait, we aren't singing anymore.  Yep, it's been awhile.  Sorry about that.  I've missed you as much as you've missed me--probably more.

Things have been hectic around here, to say the least.  On August 13th, I started back to work full time and that means Baby Boy started to go to the sitter.  Work has been incredibly busy and life at home definitely hasn't slowed down, either.  Add to that the fact that Blogger doesn't work well on the iPad, which is my only connection to the outside world when I'm at home, and I just haven't been able to blog much.

Honestly, I'm still busy, but wanted to make a few minutes while I'm pumping to write up a few things.  That means that this will be a bullet point post.  I'd like to give you more, but this is all I've got right now.

• My Baby Girl is growing up super fast.  This morning she got dressed entirely by herself.  She took off her pajamas, went potty, washed her hands, put on her panties, shorts, shirt, and shoes ALL BY HERSELF.  What a big girl.
• My Baby Boy is also growing up too fast.  Over Labor Day weekend, he became a master at rolling from his back to his belly. He *can* roll from belly to back, but not as well as back to belly.  Sometimes he gets on his belly and wants to go back to his back and forgets how.  
• In spite of being able to roll, he's still sleeping on his side at home.  Apparently he's rolling to his tummy at the sitter to sleep, which is fine with us.
• The day I came back to work was the day Baby Boy came down with his first cold, complete with a stuffy nose and cough.  It took him awhile to get over it, but he didn't ever lose his charming personality.  He actually still hasn't stopped coughing entirely, but we started using a humidifier in his room and it's helping him sleep a bit better.
• Speaking of sleep, there's very little of it happening in our house.  Baby Boy is up at least 3 times per night and has been for the last week and a half or so, with the worst nights being over this past weekend.  He has been napping and starting the night (more on that in a moment) in his crib since not long before I went back to work, I think.  The transition was fine.  
• We are sort of unofficially co-sleeping.  When Baby Boy wakes for the first time (which is now happening around 11...when we actually went through a phase of it being closer to 3), The Hubby brings him to me to nurse.  He usually tries to get the baby back to sleep, but quickly concludes that he needs to eat.  I usually nurse him laying down if I'm already in bed and then we all end up falling asleep.  Then it's a vicious cycle--baby rolls toward me, fussing with his mouth open like a baby bird, I nurse him, we all fall back asleep again until The Hubby's alarm goes off in the morning.  It's exhausting, honestly, because I don't get a good night's sleep at all anymore and my back hurts really bad because I'm sleeping on the edge of the bed and have to contort myself some when I nurse him laying down.  I'm hoping to tackle this soon because I think everyone will sleep better once he's in his own bed more.
• Baby Girl has started waking up at night.  She lays in her bed, going to sleep, and wants one of us to come in later.  If we don't or we come in after she's sleeping, she wakes up sometime in the night, thinking it's still early and that she's still waiting for us.  I'm not sure how to remedy this...it's the first she's woken in the night since she started sleeping through the night at 16 months.  Even sickness never woke her in the past.
• We had Baby Boy's 4 month appointment.  I'm not sure if I've avoided posting about it because it makes me anxious or if it's due to the busyness mentioned above.  You see, he didn't grow as much as we'd anticipated.  He'd been in the 90th+ percentile for weight and 75th for height.  At his appointment he was 50th for weight and 30th for height.  I keep telling myself that he was getting ready for a growth spurt (which might explain the sleep issues as well) and that he just grew right after his appointment.  Who knows if that's actually true.  He handled the shots really well. After the first one, he just looked at the nurse as if to say, "Why are you touching me?", but then cried a bit after the second.  He did get a fever for a couple of days afterward, but never got cranky at all.  
• This morning Baby Boy reached for someone for the first time--our sitter.  I'm happy he likes her, I truly am.  But I'm a *little* sad that he doesn't reach for us yet.  It was still cute.
• We went through some eating issues at the sitter.  He went through a couple of days of only eating 7 ounces or so while I was at work, which seemed to be just enough to get him through until we picked him up.  Then he was up every 2 hours or so to eat.  The sitter got him to take a more normal amount (usually around 13 ounces--whatever we give her that I pumped the day prior) by laying him on his side as if he was nursing.  Whatever works! 
• Baby Boy sleeps well at the sitter.  He takes a short (30 minutes or so) morning nap and then a longer (2.5 hours or so) afternoon nap while the big kids are sleeping.  She just lays him down and he sleeps.  Bliss!
• Baby Boy actually puts himself to sleep for us at home, too.  We do a little shh/pat (a la The Baby Whisperer, which is what we used when Baby Girl was younger) if he seems restless, but otherwise he'll just snuggle his lovey (a silky elephant blankie), roll onto his side, and go to sleep.  He does sometimes use a binkie to go to sleep, but not always.
• We also got out the Exersaucer a couple of weeks ago.  We've already had to raise it to the 2nd level and could easily move it to the highest setting.  He loves it and it's really fun to watch him in it.  
• Baby Boy also still really loves his bouncy chair, but unfortunately it's going to have to go away really soon.  His tushy is almost on the ground.  I'm glad the bouncy chair has gotten use this time around since Baby Girl just wasn't a big fan.  He loves to play with those dangly critters and is now strong enough to rip them down.

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head right now.  If you have any questions, let me know!  Hopefully you'll hear from me before the end of *this* month, but we'll see what life is going to throw my way in the next few weeks.  You never know!

15 Weeks

I'm sad that The Blogger interface isn't great on the iPad. I would blog a lot more if it worked well, I swear.

Quick list of developments:

- Started grabbing ahold of your face and trying to eat it when you're close
- Started to consolidate sleep. Even when at home with me, taking one or two quick naps in the morning and a longer afternoon sleep, then maybe one more quick nap.
- The day he turned 15 weeks, he came down with his first cold. He now has no voice, which is adorable and pathetic at the same time. That day was also his first day at the sitter.
- Still rolling to his sides at will from his back. Doesn't seem to have an interest in rolling all the way over.

Meal Plan 8/12/12 - 8/18/12

After having a discussion with the Hubby a few nights ago, he took it upon himself to make our list of meals this week. Would I have preferred to do it with the ad? Sure, but I ended up finding some Managers Special meat anyway. Plus, how could I say something after he took the initiative and did it?

Sunday: Sloppy Joes and tater tots--I'm on my own for dinner with the kids tonight, so I wanted something super easy. This is also left over from last week, so the buns and meat needed to be used.

Monday: Broiled Tilapia and rice--Another leftover from last week. The package of fish from last week needs to be used and I picked up another on Manager's Special today. I can't say I'm a fish lover, but I don't want Baby Girl to not like fish just because I don't, plus there are health benefits to eating fish that I don't want to miss out on.

Tuesday: Cayenne Chicken--I got some chicken on Manager's Special (a rarity), so this will need to be used early in the week.

Wednesday: Tortilla Soup--I'll use some shredded chicken that was cooked during a batch cooking session before Baby Boy was born, so this will be an easy dinner.

Thursday: Tacos--And now, for the Mexican trifecta...  This taco meat was also made during a batch cooking session before Baby Boy was born. It's a good thing I'm okay with Mexican without cheese. I add avocado to make up for the creamy sour cream that I'm missing.

Friday: Pancake Bites--This sounds like a great Friday night dinner. I love breakfast for dinner (brinner) and usually The Hubby does a chunk of the cooking that night.

Saturday: Steak Salad--Something we've had before. Just basically veggies and steak sautéed and thrown over some lettuce.

Three Year Old Stats

Today we had Baby Girl's three year checkup with the pediatrician and she did really well. They weighed her, got her height, took her blood pressure, then did a general check-over. And she was deemed perfect :)

Stats:

Height: 37.25 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 35.6 pounds (75th percentile)

He doesn't have any areas of concern and mentioned her going to the dentist (she'll go with us to our next cleaning for her first). It was generally pretty uneventful. She got her sticker and wanted to check out the fishies.

On our way out I asked if we could check Baby Boy's weight. With clothes on he was 15 pounds 7 ounces. Wow. Baby girl was 15 lbs 15 oz at 6 months old. Geez.

14 Weeks

I'm actually really glad I waited a day to write this, because now I have new stuff to write about!

In the last week we've noticed Baby Boy being markedly more interested in being upright and just generally being less of a blob.  He can sit with something in his hands (so he's leaning forward) for about 5 seconds sometimes and he seems to love that little bit of independence.  He can also roll onto his sides if he wants.  And just this week he's started really getting his head up high when he's on his tummy.  He's pushing up with his hands some, but it's still mostly from arching his back.

The biggest thing is that today he rolled from tummy to back three times.  It only happened when I left his right arm sort of under him so he didn't have to figure out what to do with it when he rolled, but it was pretty cool.  It also really startled him and he sort of bonked his head on the floor (he was on his play mat on the rug, so it wasn't like it hurt him), but I cheered him and I think he understood that it was a good thing.

This week Baby Boy has really ramped up the drool.  Baby Girl never needed to wear a bib all day, but we may be moving in that direction with Baby Boy.  It just runs out of his mouth all over everything and everyone.  We even have moments of wondering if he's teething because he's cramming so much into his mouth and sometimes even getting fussy.  We know logically that he isn't, but it's worse than we ever remember Baby Girl being.

I've also been working on getting Baby Boy to nap in his crib.  We've had moments where he has done it, but it didn't last more than a half hour or so and we hadn't been consistent about it.  Yesterday he took two (or three?) naps in his crib for 45 minutes apiece.  I also put him down for his first nap this morning in there.  When he woke up he was obviously still tired, but wouldn't go back to sleep.  I let him nap on me for his later morning nap, but when time for his afternoon nap, I thought I'd put him in his crib.  I had to fight him to get him to sleep because he was overtired from having shorter naps this morning.  I swayed with him on his side with the binky in his mouth.  When he was obviously drowsy, I laid him down, then had to shh/pat him for about 5 minutes, again on his side with the binky in his mouth.  I also gave him a lovey--an elephant that is silky on one side and soft on the other.  Since he usually wakes at 45 minutes, I went upstairs after about 40 minutes, prepared to get him back to sleep.  He stirred a couple of times and I patted him a teeny bit.  I'm not sure if he would've gotten himself back to sleep or not, but I'm glad I was up there.  I came back down after he'd been asleep for a little over an hour (I didn't have a clock up there or I would've come down earlier) and he's still sleeping and has been for 1 hour 40 minutes.  This is all in an effort to get him to nap well for the sitter in a crib.

I will make a separate post about my impending return to work full time next Monday.  To say I'm dreading it is an understatement.  I held him earlier today and just sobbed at him--I'm really going to miss him.

I am the girl with the lame ringtone

Stepping away from mommy blogging for a moment (GASP!), I want to talk about technology and its role in my life.

You see, I WORK in technology.  I train people to use computers.  I create technological solutions for work problems.  I help develop computer systems.

But in my real life, technology just isn't all that important to me.  Do I love to have new toys?  Of course.  But it isn't a priority for me financially.  We have an iPad that we received as a gift.  We also have a nice TV that we received as a gift as well (from the same loving in-laws--I love their decision to just do one big gift for Christmas!).  Our laptop, however, is on its last legs and badly needs either overhauled or replaced, but we haven't made it a priority to do so yet.

This brings me to our cell phones.  My husband has an iPhone and I LUV it.  But he wouldn't have it if 1) he hadn't gotten birthday money from his parents to pay for about half of it and 2) work wasn't paying for the service.  It's actually a nice thing--instead of having to carry both a work-owned cell phone and a personal phone, he can have work pay entirely for the data and voice packages for his cell phone and just take work calls there (unless, of course, I hide his phone...not that I would ever do that).  So this means that when we're out and about together we do have access to the internet, maps, and email.  I can't find a way to justify spending the money on a fancy phone and data package for myself to be able to use when I'm not with him.

I have a green phone that was an upgrade from my last phone because it has an optional QWERTY keyboard.  Fancy, huh?  I pay $5 each month for 200 texts.  I pay extra if I receive any picture or video messages.  I pay if I access the internet.  My ringtones are the dorky ones that came with the phone. And I'm saving money and not terribly inconvenienced, so I don't really care.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to hoist this boombox onto my shoulder and take a walk. Why spend the money on a fancy new MP3 player when this 8-track player works just fine?

Three Months Old

Bubba (yep, this is what we're calling you right now),

When I found out we were having a boy, I wasn't excited.  I was actually downright disappointed at times.  I wanted another girl.  I wanted a girl to dress up, whose hair I could do, who would be sweet and loving and snuggly.  But I wasn't having a girl--I was having you.  I had a lot of apprehension from the moment we found out you were a boy until the day you were born.  And then when you were born, none of it mattered anymore; I was in love.  And that love hasn't wavered and I haven't had one moment of wishing you were a girl from the moment I met you.  You are so incredibly sweet, happy, laid-back, AND snuggly.  Is it possible that you'll become more independent than your sister and resist hugs and cuddles from Mommy?  Sure, and I dread that day.  But for now, I cannot imagine having any other baby.  I spend my days home with you (I'm only back to work part time right now) laughing and smiling.  The only time you cry is when you're tired or hungry, both of which can be fixed pretty easily.  You are the happiest baby I've ever seen and you have the best laugh.  You giggle at your big sister, even when she's being a little rough--I think you actually like it.  This morning, for instance, she was lifting your legs up to your chest while you were propped up in a sitting position on the couch.  Sounds uncomfortable for an adult!  She then pulled your legs down and would pull you from sitting to laying on the couch.  You thought it was the best thing ever.  I love watching the two of you together and love the gleam you get in your eyes when she's near.

I cannot wait to see what sort of man you grow into.  If you grow up to be exactly like your daddy I'll be a happy mommy.  I hope we can make that happen.  I want you to retain your laid-back, happy ways, to always go with the flow.  I want you to respect others.  I want you to understand work ethic and work hard to get the things you want in life.  I want you to have a silly streak.  I want you to understand that men don't have to hide their emotions.  There are so many things I want to teach you, my little man.

For now, though, I just want to hold you, talk to you, nibble on your chubby cheeks and thighs, and see that beautiful smile.

Love,
Mommy

13 Weeks

(Somewhat sappy 3 month post to come in the next day or so...I'm all sapped out after writing Baby Girl's letter.)

How cool that 3 months and 13 weeks both fall on a Monday. It makes sense when I think about it, but it snuck up on me this time!

Let's see...this week hasn't been overly exciting, really. Baby Boy is starting to pull his legs up off the floor and is, consequently, rolling some onto his side. He still has no interest in rolling when on his belly--he gets angry really quickly. He is, however, having moments of actually pushing up with his arms and not always just arching his back to lift his head.

He continues to explore his voice and is making more high-pitched noises. If I'm out of the room I'm having a harder time determining if he's happy or sad.

Speaking of exploring, Baby Boy is still exploring everything with his mouth. If you don't want it drooled on, don't give it to him. This could be your fingers, toys, clothes, blankets...whatever.

He is also still really laid back. He slept in the stroller at the fair (without patting, rocking, or anything!) and also slept for a bit in his infant seat at dinner later in the day! He also got passed around at his sister's birthday party and even napped on his daddy during present-opening. He loves it when you get your face close to his quickly and rewards you with a great belly laugh sometimes.

Baby Boy is an incredibly efficient nurser, which is especially nice when you're feeding him in public. He takes about 5 minutes and only nurses on one side each session. He still nurses to sleep each night, although he is starting to fight it. I also frequently nurse him to sleep for naps just because I'm lazy. He could go to sleep with walking and bouncing or I could nurse him... It's nice to be the bearer of the "magic juice", as we call it.

Three years old

My sweet little girl,

You are three years old today. I have spent a lot of the day remembering that day three years ago: where we were, what we were doing, and what we were feeling. It was an overwhelming day--our lives changed in a shocking and amazing way when you entered this world. I wouldn't change a thing. Your daddy and I talk a lot about the fact that we were meant to have you--that baby in that moment. We waited longer than we wanted to for you, but knowing who we ended up with, we wouldn't change one thing.

This last year hasn't been as filled with physical development as the previous ones, but you've grown by bounds intellectually and emotionally and I truly couldn't be more proud. You're such a smart little girl and are able to communicate with us better than we'd ever thought a three year old could. That isn't to say that we haven't had any struggles--we have...oh, we have--but you're still so incredible. Our struggles have been recent and mighty--it's like we're paying the price for never experiencing the Terrible Twos--because you seem to have inherited your mommy's stubbornness. We butt heads from time to time, but in the end you're still my sweet girl who just wants to make Mommy and Daddy proud and happy.

You, my dear, love fiercely and wholly. You are always asking for "one more hug and kiss" before we go anywhere--even just to the bathroom! You adore your daddy and love to play with him.

Your little brother is your favorite person, it seems. People ask me all the time about how you are as a big sister and I'm always quick to tell them that you are a better big sister than I could've hoped for. You are helpful and always want Nicholas to be happy. He is the first person you want to see when you get home and love to kiss and hug him. You get a little rough sometimes, unintentionally--you just want to love on him as hard as you can. And sweetheart, he loves you too. Sometimes you're the only one who can make him smile.

The arrival of the baby rocked your world. For as much as you love him, you were feeling pretty jealous of the time and attention we needed to give him--especially mommy. Once we settled into our home as a family of four, things have improved. Mommy and Daddy set aside time just for you and that led to better behavior--thank goodness! We still have more tantrums and fights than we had before he arrived, but we work through it. Our favorite words that we've supplied you with to use when you're disappointed and want to cry are "that makes me a little sad".

I love you so much, you headstrong little girl. You have shy moments and outgoing times. You still love food, being outside, and books. You want to help mommy with everything and ask me to save chores for you to do. You help me cook, clean, and do laundry (your favorite is folding sheets and when we walk our ends together--it makes you giggle loudly every time).

Thank you, sweet girl, for choosing me as your mommy. I thank God that He chose us to raise you and watch you develop. I can't wait to see what your fourth year will bring.

My love always,
Mommy

12 Weeks

In just a few days my baby boy will be three months old.  I feel like the world is passing me by as I try to cling to every moment.  But that's for another post.

Baby Boy's twelfth week was a great one sleep-wise.  I was in the process of writing up a blog post about how much I fear I screw up my kids' sleeping (or our genetics just create bad sleepers...not sure which) when he started only waking once per night.  Wow.  He did it Sunday night.  I figured it was a fluke.  When he woke up at 2 a.m. Monday night I assumed I'd see him again in a couple of hours, but he slept until morning.  Then Tuesday night he only woke once at 4.  This continued until Friday night, no matter what we did during the day.  Some days he napped better than others.  Some days he took an evening nap and some days he didn't.  And yet he still slept well.  Then Friday through Monday nights (as in Monday, the day he turned 12 weeks) he woke up twice per night, which still wasn't horrible after waking 3-4 times per night prior to the improvement.  Last night he actually woke up three times, but he had an odd evening (didn't nap and then fell asleep eating, which means he didn't eat nearly as well and then was stirring most of the evening), so I'm hoping we'll be back to waking once or twice tonight.  Either way, my fears that I'd screwed him up have been quelled...for now.

I also wanted to document a birth mark that I discovered on Baby Boy.  He has a mole on the back of his left knee.  I don't know if it's been there since birth, but I discovered it around 10 weeks when I was checking out his rolls (which are DELICIOUS...except for the crud I found in one of them yesterday).

Baby Boy is just growing like crazy.  Baby Girl has her 3 year doctor appointment on August 10th, so I might ask that he be weighed then.  If not then, he has his urologist appointment on August 16th and then we'll have his 4 month appointment at the end of August.  He is getting big and is still such a happy little man. If he's fussy, it's always for a reason and is typically because he's tired.  He has the best smiles and gives them to just about everyone.  He also has a little chuckle that he'll emit sometimes that sounds like he's being polite when someone tries to make him laugh.  But then when he really gets laughing, you know it!  He loves to watch and listen to Mommy sing and loves it when Daddy does up/downs over him (he'll run in place and then drop like he's going to smoosh Baby Boy, which is apparently the most hilarious thing in the world).

Meal Plan: 7/22 - 7/28/12

I just haven't been in the mood to eat real meals much recently since being dairy-free, on top of limiting my bean intake, so our meal plan is fairly uninspired. I also don't know when we'll have which meals--it all depends on what sounds good each night.

Now that I've sufficiently reduced your expectations...

Spaghetti and meatballs
Breakfast: pancake bites that I found on Pinterest, eggs, and hash browns
Sloppy Joes and tater tots
Beef and vegetable soup
Lazy man's cabbage rolls

Next Saturday is Baby Girl's third (OMG...SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?) birthday party and her big day is Sunday, so our weekend will be filled with party and the week will be spent getting prepared to convert our house into a Christmas wonderland.

11 Weeks

Friday night The Hubby and I took Baby Boy out to dinner with us at a local German restaurant and while the food was yummy, he was totally overwhelmed by the noise and alternated between fussing and looking around with big eyes. My favorite part of eating there is the cream puffs. I thought I'd try splitting one with The Hubby and see what happened. The good news is that Baby Boy didn't have gas pains. The bad news is that he spit up a lot the next day. It doesn't seem like he's ready for me to have dairy, but at least we know that he won't be uncomfortable and gassy if I have a little.

Saturday we took a trip to my in-laws' house to visit and pick up Baby Girl, who had been staying there since Wednesday evening. We had to make a stop to nurse in a cemetery, but he otherwise did pretty well. We took the Rock n Play with us, but actually used the Pack n Play that my mother-in-law set up for us. He'd never successfully napped anywhere but on us or in the Rock n Play, but he did great! He also slept in the Pack n Play overnight and did no worse than he'd done at home. He was an absolute charmer with The Hubby's family the entire time, as I thought he'd be.

The biggest development of the week is that Baby Boy slept 8:45 to 4:15 last night! We woke up and were both stunned when we saw what time it was. Wow!

I don't know if last night's sleep is related or not, but today he's being a bit crazy. He's crying more than normal, wanting to nurse (possibly because I pumped 4 ounces from the left side when he woke at 4:00, maybe because I pumped 2 ounces when he woke up for good, and possibly because he's just feeling off). I don't know what it is, but he's also extra tired, but not able to sleep for long. He won't let me lay him down or anything when he's awake, which is really unusual. It's got me frazzled since I'm supposed to be working from home an average of 1 hr 20 minutes per day and I can't get anything done.

I hope the sleep progress continues--I was seriously about to write a blog entry about how much I fear I'm screwing up his sleep. I hope, though, that today is the end of the crankiness!

Meal Plan 7/16/12 - 7/22/12

Monday: Mom's Noodles and potatoes--my mom made us homemade noodles when Baby Boy was born for the freezer and we ate some last week. Since they're thawed, we need to eat them up!
Tuesday: Taco salad--this week wasn't a great meat sale week at the grocery, so we're pulling taco meat from the freezer that we prepared before Baby Boy was born, making taco bowls with tortillas in the oven, and serving with avocados.
Wednesday: Mojo Shrimp--this is a meal that friends made for us that we make whenever we want shrimp. Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe online. Maybe I'll type it up for the blog someday.
Thursday: Southwestern Veggie Stuffed Peppers--we are trying to use a bit less meat (although with me avoiding dairy and copious amounts of beans, this is proving difficult) and I found this on my favorite cooking blog. I think I've made it before and loved them!
Friday: Healthy Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls-- I've made these before, but can't find the recipe I used. Hopefully this is as good as the original!
Saturday: leftovers

10 Weeks

Ten weeks old and still a hoss :) Baby Boy is much more relaxed than his sister ever was. It is so fun to watch him play by himself and flirt with everyone he meets. He tolerates his car seat much better as well. We went to the zoo yesterday with The Hubby's family (parents and brother's family) and both kids did great! I nursed Baby Boy in the aquarium twice, which worked out well. He slept on the drive up and again in his car seat in the stroller. I also carried him and helped him sleep some. It was really hot and we were all very sweaty and cranky by the time we got home!

Baby Boy is definitely a lot more aware of the world around him. He has started to get scared by loud noises like his sister screaming, which isn't fun for anyone. He is also distracted when nursing by people and noises. I don't know if he needs to eat less often or is just more efficient, but during some sessions he's popping off and giggling at me after less than 5 minutes. It is adorable, but frustrating.

Another developmental change I've noticed over the last couple of weeks is that he wants to stand all the time. He can support his weight for a minute or more, just using us for balance. He loves being upright in general and is also trying to sit up from laying down. We've started using the Bumbo some. When he's tired, his head will fall back a bit, but otherwise he loves it. His chunky thighs don't fit so well already, though, so I don't know how long we'll be able to use it!

He has also been finding different tones to his voice. He's starting to get loud and use different pitches. It's so fun to listen to!

I doubt anyone reading really wants to know this, but Baby Boy's poop has gotten thicker and less frequent. Hopefully it doesn't lead to blowouts like we experienced with Baby Girl!

Last items of note pertain to sleep. I'm going to do a whole entry about sleep, but wanted to mention two things. We had one night with a 6 hour stretch and last night got another of just under 5 hours. They typically happen when he hasn't slept as much during the late afternoon and the long stretches have been through the evening and very early morning. The other thing is that we had a day with more normal napping--2 hour morning and afternoon naps and a short early evening nap (although they were all on someone). He didn't have a long stretch that night, so I'm not pushing for another day like that yet.

The important thing to know is that he's growing and changing. I see him every day, so sometimes it is hard to see the changes, but they are definitely happening!

Meal Plan 7/8/12 - 7/14/12

I've been meal planning and cooking since Baby Boy was born but, to be honest, it has been pretty boring, so I haven't posted anything, especially since I'm still dairy-free. This week is a bit more interesting, so I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting. Plus it'll be good to write something other than posts about the baby :)

For starters, we had tilapia tonight. You see, I'm not a fish eater. At all. But I realized recently that I was depriving Baby Girl of a whole type of food because I don't like it. I found tilapia on sale this week and decided to give it a shot. You know what? It wasn't bad. Baby Girl had seconds, so we'll be having it again, even if it wasn't my favorite. I know it is good for me, too.

Also, this week Baby Girl is going to spend three nights with my husband's parents. The Hubby will meet his mom with Baby Girl on Wednesday evening and they'll have dinner. Then my mother-in-law will take her home with her (about an hour and 45 minutes away from home) until we come up to visit with Baby Boy on Saturday. That means that dinner Wednesday will be up in the air for me and then we will be without Baby Girl Thursday and Friday. She eats really well still so we aren't sure what we'll do to take advantage of her being gone, but we'll figure something out.

Sunday: tilapia, corn on the cob, rice
Monday: ribs, corn on the cob
Tuesday: noodles (homemade that my mom made and froze for us) and mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Out for The Hubby and Baby Girl, not sure what I'll do
Thursday: steak salad (planning on steak, lettuce, corn, bell peppers, avocado and green onion)
Friday: Out?
Saturday: at the in-laws' house

9 weeks

I'm not sure if a lot has changed in the last week or if I've just noticed a lot more! I was making my list before I sat down to write the actual entry and it is a long list this week!

We've noticed a sharp increase in the amount of drool Baby Boy is producing this week, especially when he's focusing on standing up. There also seems to be more when he's stuffy at night, which makes sense. I remember that Baby Girl started drooling somewhere around this time (maybe closer to 3 months?) and I was sure it would be teething. Ha! She didn't cut her first tooth until she was over 9 months old!

In the middle of last week, we could see that Baby Boy was starting to notice his hands. He isn't staring at them like I know a lot of babies do (Baby Girl never did), but he's finding ways to use them, like grabbing his rooster friend. I know he isn't doing it on purpose yet, but he's getting his hands moving and has gotten ahold of the tag a few times.

Also in the last week or two, he has starting laughing. It is AWESOME. His favorite things for me to do are to bounce him on my knee while singing William Tell Overture and to play "where's your tongue?" I stick my tongue out for him and cheer when he sticks his out. And come to think of it, he likes just about any song with the word "doo". Haha! I've been singing "I've Got You Babe", too, which makes him happy.

Baby Boy has also started noticing things that are further away--the TV and the light fixtures are favorites right now. I'm doing my best to keep him from staring at the TV. We don't keep our kids away from TV until the recommended 2 years, but seeing a two month old baby zone out while staring at the TV is a little creepy, if you ask me.

When he lays on his play mat, he's always moving and has started spinning in a circle. He does it by planting his feet and lifting his butt off the ground. I was pretty impressed when I saw him doing that! Now if we can just get him interested in rolling...

Lastly, Baby Boy had his two month checkup last Friday. He weighed a whopping 13 lbs 3 oz (greater than 90th percentile) and was 23 inches long, which is average. His head circumference was around the 75th percentile. In other words, he's growing consistently. The doctor mentioned that he assumes his growth will slow down when he starts to move between 4 and 6 months, which is exactly what happened to Baby Girl, although she went from average to being on the smaller side. And I think he complimented me on the quality of my breast milk :)

Two months old

My sweet little boy,

Yesterday you turned two months old. I'm sure I'll be saying this for the rest of your life, but I can't believe that you've been part of our lives for two months. In some ways, it feels like you've always been here and in others it feels like it was just yesterday that you were born.

I'm working my first day of work since your birth on Tuesday and I'm so sad that our constant time together is coming to an end. These past two months with you have been some of the best time that I've had. It's funny--I know that I have spent some time every day crying, but you make me SO happy. I am more in love with you than I EVER could have imagined. Just looking into your beautiful brown eyes makes my heart do a little flip. When you smile at me (which is pretty much anytime you aren't sleeping), I melt.

You are so laid back, Mr. Man. I am pretty sure that it is your personality and not just because we're forcing you to be. You've been my first priority pretty much 24/7 since your birth while Daddy tends to your big sister, so you don't have to wait for much. But you'll lay and entertain yourself willingly (your best friends are the elephant and rooster that hang from your play gym--you tell them great stories!), hang out in your carseat, and just stare at the fan or light fixture. The only time you get fussy is when you're tired or maybe really hungry. Even when you're hungry you typically just gnaw on your hands for quite awhile before you start to squawk.

I hope you never outgrow your interest in snuggling or your happy, smiley ways. You truly are the best part of my day.

I love you, always and forever.

Love,
Mommy

8 weeks

Here we are...eight weeks (and two days). My big boy is almost two months old. We go for his two month checkup (and shots) on Friday, so we'll have official size stats then.

In the last week...

...we started putting Baby Boy in size 2 diapers overnight. I would switch him during the day, too, if I didn't still have a decent stash of size 1s. Never would've thought I'd have a baby this big when Baby Girl was average-to-small!

...I've noticed Baby Boy tracking objects and really focusing on things. He's always been interested in things around him, but I can tell he's seeing further and following objects and people with his eyes. It is fun to see.

...his sleeping has been better...then worse. Over the weekend Baby Boy slept well. He had a 5.5 hour stretch of sleep Saturday night. Sunday night he slept for 3.5 hours, then when The Hubby got him up, fell asleep on the bed while I was getting my nursing pillow on. I made The Hubby put him back in his bed and we all slept for another 1.5 hours! And then Monday happened. Monday he was awake, screaming, and not consoled by anything but nursing all afternoon. Then he went back to waking every 2-2.5 hours overnight. He repeated this yesterday. I'm blaming a developmental growth spurt (Google The Wonder Weeks--totally fascinating to me!). Today he has actually been better, so I'm hoping that is the explanation. Even if it isn't, it makes me feel less like it might somehow be my own fault.

...we visited the Urology department at a branch of our local children's hospital. At his one month appointment, our pediatrician discovered some penile adhesions (he is probably going to kill me when he's older for blogging about this...). He wasn't able to get one bug area and wanted a urologist to look at it instead, so we were referred. The most exciting part of the appointment was having Baby Boy weighed (with clothes) at 13 pounds. It went downhill from there. The nurse practitioner said that he would need to be seen by the urologist at the main campus of the hospital. She also wanted an ultrasound done because of his hydrocele (which our very very cautious pediatrician said could wait until he's closer to a year old). They scheduled the appointment for us...for August 22nd. Great. What a waste of our time. Our pediatrician actually contacted us personally to see if we were as annoyed as he was. We were. We'll be discussing everything with him on Friday at Baby Boy's two month checkup.

Besides the crankiness of the last two days, Baby Boy continues to be a really laid back, happy kid. He slept through The Hubby and me having a snack at Panera after the urology appointment. He actually slept in his carrier long enough for me to eat lunch with a friend today. He regularly lays on his play mat and has conversations with his rooster and elephant while I get things done or just (gasp!) take some time to myself where I don't have a baby sleeping on me (which is still his favorite place to sleep and where he gets his longest stretches of sleep). He also loves his bouncy seat and will sit in it and kick hard enough that we have to buckle him in while I shower. I don't mnow if he's more laid back or I am, but many things really are easier with him than they were with Baby Girl. I'd guess it is a combination.

Domestic Goddess

Does anyone else out there feel like all they do is clean and care for their house? Boy, between two kids (especially including one who is breast feeding) and the house, I don't get time to relax!

Whenever I start to think about resting, I remember a load of laundry, the kitchen that needs to be cleaned, a bathroom that needs cleaned, or kids clothes to be organized. Once the everyday stuff is done, I get started on a LONG list of things we want to do before we put the house on the market. I've cleaned off the top of the fridge, the top of the kitchen cabinets, and started working on doing some purging to make the house less cluttered. I rearranged the kitchen cabinets to make room for stuff for Baby Boy since we'll start using bottles very soon. I'm also hoping to get together boxes of things to sell, either in a virtual garage sale that I'm a part of with girls from a message board I belong to or on EBay. I also found out that some of my old textbooks that are at least 10 years old are still worth some money. Three of my Engineering textbooks could make me around $200 in Amazon credits if I sell them to Amazon--woohoo!

Anyway, this is just a post to whine about how much the housework piles up and is never ending. If I'm not nursing the baby, I'm cleaning or organizing something. I'm exhausted and have no idea when or how this stuff is going to get done when I go back to work. The Hubby will help more, but since we have to tag team the kids when they're both awake, it'll be hard to be anything done before bedtime.

Anyone else feel like they're constantly treading water when it comes to housework?