So here I sit at 5:45am the day before turkey day. I absolutely love having everyone at our house for holidays, but it makes the day before quite busy. I know that this is probably the last time I'll sit down today and I'm hoping to get a little hot tub time later. I like getting most of the preparations done the day before so on thanksgiving, all I have to worry about is getting the turkey in and out of the oven and warming up the rest of the food.
The complicating factor today is that Anya is sick....she finally picked up the cough/cold that Baz (and subsequently George, Lorelei, and I) has had for the past few weeks. She only coughed for the first half of the night, but when I checked her in the middle of the night, she felt a little warm. I'm waiting to see how she feels this morning to see if she can go to school. It's only a half day, but having one less kid to contend with would make my day a little easier. I also hope she feels better because I know how crappy this cold feels! Fingers crossed that Baz stays better!
It's going to be a fun time here this week with Beth, Ben, Isabella and Miles staying with us! We'll have Don and my parents to help, but it could make for some crazy times! We're going to attempt a photo session and Sears too- god help us! I'll just be happy if we get one shot with all 5 kids- asking for 5 smiles is probably just too much. Wish us luck!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
2 months already
It's so hard to believe that our ladybug is 2 months old already. I suppose it's easy when you're looking at her- she looks more like a baby than a scrawny newborn and she's really becoming more interactive. She looks you right in the eye and starts trying to sound out her coos. There are some videos on the kids' website of that. Her smiles light up her whole face and melt your heart.
I'm still waiting for her to fall into a napping routine.....she usually sleeps for a good portion of the morning, but the actual timing of that sleep varies from day to day. And forget nighttime sleep- she'll go down for a few hours at the beginning of the night, but once midnight comes around, she's up every couple of hours (or every hour like last night). I'm so looking forward to a good routine, even if it means boot camp...been there, done that, got the t-shirt!
I'm still waiting for her to fall into a napping routine.....she usually sleeps for a good portion of the morning, but the actual timing of that sleep varies from day to day. And forget nighttime sleep- she'll go down for a few hours at the beginning of the night, but once midnight comes around, she's up every couple of hours (or every hour like last night). I'm so looking forward to a good routine, even if it means boot camp...been there, done that, got the t-shirt!
The kitty cats
The cats are Baz's current fascination...well, besides monsters and nightmares that are going to come out of his closet! I think it started when I told him that I had to get up from putting him to bed so I could clean up the kitchen before the cats ate our dinner. Since then, he tries to rescue everything "so the kitty cats don't get it" The other day I had to rescue George's Ipod from his grip since the cats were after it! he means well, but it doesn't always work out well!
He's still great at sharing- particularly food....he's never refused to share when asked and he usually offers what he's eating, even if it's "his favorite".
Baz has really taken to Colleen's. I used to have to peel him off my body and rush away as he cried for me.....now he barely remembers to give me a hug and a kiss before he goes to play with his friends. It's not as nice as it was for Anya since she had a small crew of friends all her age there. He's got a couple of kids kinda close to his age, but not as close as she did. I was thinking today that I may look for a 3-year old program at Anya's preschool next year so he can make some friends his own age. The nice thing about the preschool is that the price is reasonable (about the same as I end up paying Colleen) and she would transport him.
He's still great at sharing- particularly food....he's never refused to share when asked and he usually offers what he's eating, even if it's "his favorite".
Baz has really taken to Colleen's. I used to have to peel him off my body and rush away as he cried for me.....now he barely remembers to give me a hug and a kiss before he goes to play with his friends. It's not as nice as it was for Anya since she had a small crew of friends all her age there. He's got a couple of kids kinda close to his age, but not as close as she did. I was thinking today that I may look for a 3-year old program at Anya's preschool next year so he can make some friends his own age. The nice thing about the preschool is that the price is reasonable (about the same as I end up paying Colleen) and she would transport him.
18....
Is how old Anya will be when she finally gives up having tantrums. That's what she told me tonight after she finally settled down from her 2hour+ long tantrum. It started with dinner- she didn't want to eat what was on her plate, but she didn't want the consequences of not eating (her dog Gray would remain in time out, no stories, no lay-downs). Once we finally got past that one (she did eventually eat her dinner BTW), she wanted a candy which led into another tantrum (she didn't like the one I gave her and wanted another, which she didn't get either). After battling the tub with 2 kids (Baz and Rory) as Anya continued to sulk and cry, she finally got in the tub too. Yet another tantrum ensued when she wanted to wipe her eyes off before the shampoo was out of her hair. ACK!!!!!
Thankfully, all 3 kiddoes are quietly sleeping at this moment and I am thoroughly enjoying my Sam Adams and cookie dough.
I truly hope she's wrong with that age estimate, too....it came up because I told her that most 5 year olds don't have tantrums anymore, but she really didnt care about that.
Thankfully, all 3 kiddoes are quietly sleeping at this moment and I am thoroughly enjoying my Sam Adams and cookie dough.
I truly hope she's wrong with that age estimate, too....it came up because I told her that most 5 year olds don't have tantrums anymore, but she really didnt care about that.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Roller Skating!!!!
So yesterday George discovered a roller rink that has survived the 80's and 90' and still runs on a regular schedule. He recruited Aunt Meri and off we went. Of course, we had to travel almost an hour to get there, but it was worth it!
I was a bit anxious about going skating with 3 kids in tow- obviously Lorelei would not be participating, so one adult would have to stay with her and each of the other kids would need assistance as well. It turned out that George didn't have a ton of skating experience either, so it made for some fun times!
As we sat down and started putting on our skates, the kids got more and more excited. You can see it on Anya's face here:
Sebastian soon decided that skating was not for him and resorted to his usual climbing activities:
I soon realized that my anxieties were sorta well-founded as both kids realized how hard skating is. Factor in that Meri arrived a few minutes after we did and until she arrived, it was a bit nerve-wracking until she came in.
George entered the rink with one kid holding each hand and they made it halfway around the rink before he took both of them to the tables. Anya was in full-blown tears because she was so scared of falling. Baz wasn't crying, but he was not happy to be sitting at a table instead of the driving games in the arcade area. Thanks to Aunt Meri, we were then able to go skate a little bit (sans kids of course- big eyeroll!) and eventually cool Aunt Meri convinced Anya to try skating a bit.
You can see them in the above picture. Of course, I had visions of Anya falling on her right arm (which is still healing), so I reinforced that she should try to fall on her bottom. Luckily, she did't fall at all and actually has an interest in returning!
Baz, on the other hand, was eager to take his skates off and enjoy a lollipop:
Lorelei wasn't a huge fan either, but I think that had more to do with the gigantic burp that was brewing!
All in all, it was a fun day and I loved getting back into skates- it's been wayyyyy too long! I'm hoping that we can go someday without the kids and really get skating!
I was a bit anxious about going skating with 3 kids in tow- obviously Lorelei would not be participating, so one adult would have to stay with her and each of the other kids would need assistance as well. It turned out that George didn't have a ton of skating experience either, so it made for some fun times!
As we sat down and started putting on our skates, the kids got more and more excited. You can see it on Anya's face here:
Sebastian soon decided that skating was not for him and resorted to his usual climbing activities:
I soon realized that my anxieties were sorta well-founded as both kids realized how hard skating is. Factor in that Meri arrived a few minutes after we did and until she arrived, it was a bit nerve-wracking until she came in.
George entered the rink with one kid holding each hand and they made it halfway around the rink before he took both of them to the tables. Anya was in full-blown tears because she was so scared of falling. Baz wasn't crying, but he was not happy to be sitting at a table instead of the driving games in the arcade area. Thanks to Aunt Meri, we were then able to go skate a little bit (sans kids of course- big eyeroll!) and eventually cool Aunt Meri convinced Anya to try skating a bit.
You can see them in the above picture. Of course, I had visions of Anya falling on her right arm (which is still healing), so I reinforced that she should try to fall on her bottom. Luckily, she did't fall at all and actually has an interest in returning!
Baz, on the other hand, was eager to take his skates off and enjoy a lollipop:
Lorelei wasn't a huge fan either, but I think that had more to do with the gigantic burp that was brewing!
All in all, it was a fun day and I loved getting back into skates- it's been wayyyyy too long! I'm hoping that we can go someday without the kids and really get skating!
Friday, November 21, 2008
5 years old!!!
It's so amazing that Anya is 5 years old already.....she surprised us with her entrance 3 weeks early and she continues to surprise us each day. She got her dream of waking up with "gray", the stuffed dog she has wanted from IKEA. She opened a few presents in the morning with my parents before school and had a fun morning.
Her class had a party the day before for all the November birthdays, so she was already in a birthday mood. Baz, Lorelei and I joined her class for that party and it was fun- Baz joined right in with her classmates and she loved showing him off.
She's had 2 birthday dinners already- last night at Friday's with my parents and tonight at El Dorado with Nana. There's still tons more birthday fun to come- t-day dinner and her friend party!
Her class had a party the day before for all the November birthdays, so she was already in a birthday mood. Baz, Lorelei and I joined her class for that party and it was fun- Baz joined right in with her classmates and she loved showing him off.
She's had 2 birthday dinners already- last night at Friday's with my parents and tonight at El Dorado with Nana. There's still tons more birthday fun to come- t-day dinner and her friend party!
Free sleep!
I didn't even have to buy it- I got it for free!!!! When my parents arrived Wed, I had to run out to my doc appt, but when I came home from that, it was nappy time for mommy! Usually, I'm too wound up to calm down enough to take a nap, but I was so tired that day that as soon as my head hit to pillow. I was out. I came to 2 hours later and felt wonderful! That night I got some good sleep as well since Grandma got up with Lorelei and stayed with her for a while so I was only up with her briefly. Ahhhhh- I felt like a new person Thursday! It's truly amazing how important sleep is and how fantastic I feel when I get some!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sleep....
Where can I buy some???? Actually, last night wasn't too bad- my coughing kept me up the most. This is quite different than 2 night ago.......for some reason that evening, I was able to stay awake until almost 11. Big mistake- big! I left Lorelei in her swing and carried her back to the room with me and she slept until about 1....not too shabby, but 2 hours of sleep is not enough for momma! From 1-2:30 I fed her, burped her, changed her and tried to get her back to sleep. Once she finally went down, my coughing and hacking started. After a while, I felt badly that I was probably keeping George up, so I moved out to the cough. By 3:30, I finally stopped coughing and fell asleep. A mere half hour later, george arrives with Lorelei. Not a huge deal- I set up the boppy like I did when I first came home with her and prepared to nurse as I slept a little. But not for long- out cames Baz and he's ready for the day! He wants to watch Mickey Mouse (OK because I can turn it on and then snooze) and play pbskids- NOT OK because I have to help him do much of it.
Last night, only lorelei was up during the night and I was able to feed her and put her down- yay!!! often, she won't settle down so I end up nursing her in bed and then I wake up sore and still really tired. I just wish she didn't spend so much of the night coughing with me!
Last night, only lorelei was up during the night and I was able to feed her and put her down- yay!!! often, she won't settle down so I end up nursing her in bed and then I wake up sore and still really tired. I just wish she didn't spend so much of the night coughing with me!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Parenthood
We had another moment of "fun" later last evening...the kind that you just have to laugh about....
We'd just put down our computers so we could enjoy watching The Office and 30 Rock together- 2 of the few entertaining shows on TV nowadays, so you know SOMETHING has to happen. Lorelei had been snoozing in her swing and started fussing...no biggie since she usually has a bottle of formula before going down "for the night" since my supply is squat in the evening and she hadn't had it. So George picked her up to feed her and asked "Why is she all wet?"
Not being a psychic, I had to investigate further to answer him, but it soon became clear....poop. Ahhhhh, George's favorite! Not that anyone loves poo, but he is really bothered by it, so holding a baby who has had an explosion that leaked through the diaper, onesie, and nightgown was NOT fun for him! Lucky for him, I was in a good mood, so we both went back to the nursery to change Lorelei.
As we begin the fun task of removing clothing over her head while protecting her squirmy body and trying not to get poop on her head, she starts with the spitting up. Wow- she literally had poop up to her armpits and now puke down to her bellybutton!!!! Being experienced parents, George and I took it in stride and started laughing. George had to take a break and sit on the floor and happened to look out the nursery door. This is what he saw:
OMG- we were howling! Poor kiddo was so tired and sick (he's still recovering from a cold) he just couldn't make it to our bed and laid down on the floor. I remembered hearing him cry earlier "I need my momma!!!" a few times, but he stopped so I assumed he just fell back asleep- poor little muffin!
Anyway, we finally did manage to get Lorelei cleaned up and changed and Baz back in his bed and watch our show. As a matter of fact, L slept in her crib for a few hours and Baz stayed in his bed most of the night, so George and I actually got to sleep "alone" in our bed for a few hours! if only ER hadn't been about dying children, I might have gotten a couple of restful hours of sleep instead of checking on my own kids 15 times!
We'd just put down our computers so we could enjoy watching The Office and 30 Rock together- 2 of the few entertaining shows on TV nowadays, so you know SOMETHING has to happen. Lorelei had been snoozing in her swing and started fussing...no biggie since she usually has a bottle of formula before going down "for the night" since my supply is squat in the evening and she hadn't had it. So George picked her up to feed her and asked "Why is she all wet?"
Not being a psychic, I had to investigate further to answer him, but it soon became clear....poop. Ahhhhh, George's favorite! Not that anyone loves poo, but he is really bothered by it, so holding a baby who has had an explosion that leaked through the diaper, onesie, and nightgown was NOT fun for him! Lucky for him, I was in a good mood, so we both went back to the nursery to change Lorelei.
As we begin the fun task of removing clothing over her head while protecting her squirmy body and trying not to get poop on her head, she starts with the spitting up. Wow- she literally had poop up to her armpits and now puke down to her bellybutton!!!! Being experienced parents, George and I took it in stride and started laughing. George had to take a break and sit on the floor and happened to look out the nursery door. This is what he saw:
OMG- we were howling! Poor kiddo was so tired and sick (he's still recovering from a cold) he just couldn't make it to our bed and laid down on the floor. I remembered hearing him cry earlier "I need my momma!!!" a few times, but he stopped so I assumed he just fell back asleep- poor little muffin!
Anyway, we finally did manage to get Lorelei cleaned up and changed and Baz back in his bed and watch our show. As a matter of fact, L slept in her crib for a few hours and Baz stayed in his bed most of the night, so George and I actually got to sleep "alone" in our bed for a few hours! if only ER hadn't been about dying children, I might have gotten a couple of restful hours of sleep instead of checking on my own kids 15 times!
Quiet
Yesterday afternoon, just before dinner, I realized something.....for just about 5 consecutive minute, I had 3 awake children who were playing independently and quietly!!! I immediately picked up the phone to tell George about it and his response was "yeah, so?" Ha ha, did he jinx himself! He was just about home and the SECOND the kids heard the garage door opening, chaos ensued!!!
Anya started begging him to play with her. Baz's new "trick" is to pull on ANY part of your body or clothing he can get with all of his might (which is a hard force to reckon with), so he started \pulling on daddy and all the commotion startled Lorelei, who began screaming.
I just sat back and reminisced about those 5 minutes....
Anya started begging him to play with her. Baz's new "trick" is to pull on ANY part of your body or clothing he can get with all of his might (which is a hard force to reckon with), so he started \pulling on daddy and all the commotion startled Lorelei, who began screaming.
I just sat back and reminisced about those 5 minutes....
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Anya
Wow- Anya's 5th birthday is rapidly approaching....how on EARTH did that happen????? She's doing well at school (at least as far as we know)....no more notes from the teacher about hitting boys, etc and her schoolwork seems good. The only issue she's having now is when she plays with the other girls. She never seems really upset and talks about most of the kids in her class happily, but there are 2 girls who border on bullying her around. They aren't MEAN, but because she's smaller than they are, they won't ever let her play mommy when they play house. She has to be the little sister or baby and she doesn't like that. I feel so bad for her, even though it's not enough to make her cry- she just complains about it each day, but I don't know how to solve it. George and I both tell her to just stand up for herself and tell those girls that she'll be the mommy today or to have more than one mommy, but that doesn't happen. Oh, the joys of parenthood!
Anya is definitely becoming more fun to hang out with (except when she's reverting to her toddler tantrums, that is). She LOVES doing projects, where she draws and cuts out pieces of paper and glues them together. She really is quite the artist and LOVES doing it.
She's also our "hostess with the mostest" lately. We rarely have guests, so the fact that we had a family visit on Sunday and my friend visit yesterday was exciting for her. At first, she was disappointed when the boys only wanted to play with Baz's huge cars collection. She asked me why nobody was playing with her, so she and I had a little "girls'" party with Lorelei. When the kids mommy joined us after she finished work, Anya immediately invited her to play Mary Poppins! And when my friend Dawn showed up, she was directed to Anya's retaurant, followed by Anya's drawing game! She definitely knows how to entertain mommies!
Anya is definitely becoming more fun to hang out with (except when she's reverting to her toddler tantrums, that is). She LOVES doing projects, where she draws and cuts out pieces of paper and glues them together. She really is quite the artist and LOVES doing it.
She's also our "hostess with the mostest" lately. We rarely have guests, so the fact that we had a family visit on Sunday and my friend visit yesterday was exciting for her. At first, she was disappointed when the boys only wanted to play with Baz's huge cars collection. She asked me why nobody was playing with her, so she and I had a little "girls'" party with Lorelei. When the kids mommy joined us after she finished work, Anya immediately invited her to play Mary Poppins! And when my friend Dawn showed up, she was directed to Anya's retaurant, followed by Anya's drawing game! She definitely knows how to entertain mommies!
Baz
Poor Sebastian is suffering with round 2 of a cold...the first part wasn't so bad and was just about (or maybe completely) gone when I took him in for his flumist. I don't know if they're connected or just coincidental (maybe his immune system was still a bit compromised by the cold plus the vax), but this part is really hitting him hard. Poor little muffin is oozing from his eyes and nose and coughing and sneezing nonstop. I THINK he's getting better each day, but he's definitely slower than usual!
We had a playdate on Sunday with an old friend of George's and his 2 boys and Baz was so beat that he fell asleep on the floor while the kids were still here. In fact, I put him in his bed and later found the 3 other kids in his room playing with his cars with the light on and he was O-U-T!!! I just hope it passes before it sets into his ears- last winter he had the neverending ear infection and I'd like to skip that this year. Thankfully, he's been pretty good about doing a nebulizer or 2 each day, so that should help!
He's turned into quite the chatty cathy lately, but speaking VERY softly. I have to ask him to turn up the volume all the time! The new thing is to be afraid of the "nightmare" in his room. I have to reassure him that there is nothing to be afraid of!
He's also taken an interest in the computer. I've always shown him kneebouncers.com, but usually I have to move the cursor around, so I started teaching him how to do it. Being the mechanical genius that he is, he now can maneuver through several websites on his own! Kneebouncers is a piece of cake and he's pretty good at pbskids and noggin as well! I have to monitor youtube with both of them because they'll start out with funny cats clips and the suggestions on the side keep getting weirder and weirder until they're things I don't want the kids to see.
We had a playdate on Sunday with an old friend of George's and his 2 boys and Baz was so beat that he fell asleep on the floor while the kids were still here. In fact, I put him in his bed and later found the 3 other kids in his room playing with his cars with the light on and he was O-U-T!!! I just hope it passes before it sets into his ears- last winter he had the neverending ear infection and I'd like to skip that this year. Thankfully, he's been pretty good about doing a nebulizer or 2 each day, so that should help!
He's turned into quite the chatty cathy lately, but speaking VERY softly. I have to ask him to turn up the volume all the time! The new thing is to be afraid of the "nightmare" in his room. I have to reassure him that there is nothing to be afraid of!
He's also taken an interest in the computer. I've always shown him kneebouncers.com, but usually I have to move the cursor around, so I started teaching him how to do it. Being the mechanical genius that he is, he now can maneuver through several websites on his own! Kneebouncers is a piece of cake and he's pretty good at pbskids and noggin as well! I have to monitor youtube with both of them because they'll start out with funny cats clips and the suggestions on the side keep getting weirder and weirder until they're things I don't want the kids to see.
Lorelei
So it's clear that being the mommy of 3 has impacted my blogging abilities, so I'm going to try to make up some today. I had the wonderful cleaning people today, so my household chores are mostly done- the usual kitchen upkeep, laundry, and meals (2 of which are done- yay!!!!)
At 7 weeks old, Lorelei is becoming more and more like a "real baby" rather than the squirmy lump that newborns are. She's got a terrific smile that just melts your heart when you see it. She is also trying to form sounds- you can see her moving her lips around to manipulate the sound until a "coo" comes out. I haven't yet caught it on video, but I'm gonna try- maybe today.
Since birth, she's been a strong one- holding her head up well in the first 2 weeks and always moving around. Kinda scary when I look at Baz and see all the crazy things he does- she'll surely learn all of his moves- ack! She's also still a spitter- I've learned her pattern- eat, then burp and the first eruption comes. But it doesn't end there- I usually have at least 2 more aftershocks that fill up the burp cloth before she's done. Even with all of that, she typically spits even more afterward, so if she's sitting in her swing or laying down, her face and head are covered in puke. Poor kiddo! The good thing is that she doen't appear uncomfortable when this happens, so it doesn't look like reflux.
At this point, she's still up several times during the night (big surprise there!) but she sleeps great during the day...several 2-3 hour naps! I'm trying to get up the courage to put her in her crib one of these nights. It's hard when I know she'll sleep for 3-5 hours in the evening in her swing- will it be shorter in the crib? And when she's in the PNP next to the bed and I'm tired from feeding her, I just pop her into bed with me and I can get SOME sleep while she's nursing (not as good as sleeping by myself, but better than nothing). I do know that in the long run, we'll both be better if she sleeps in the crib for long stretches, but I'm not ready to CIO yet...oh, decisions, decisions!
As for growth, L looks to be doing great....at her checkup last week, she measured 23 inches and weighed 10 lbs,8 oz, which puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and almost 90 for length! What a change from my other peanuts! I think a large part of it is that I'm just not stressing about nursing this time. I've done just about everything in my power to try to exclusively nurse and it clearly isn't going to happen, so if she needs formula, she'll get formula. Clearly it didn't adversely affect the other two, so she'll be fine as well!
At 7 weeks old, Lorelei is becoming more and more like a "real baby" rather than the squirmy lump that newborns are. She's got a terrific smile that just melts your heart when you see it. She is also trying to form sounds- you can see her moving her lips around to manipulate the sound until a "coo" comes out. I haven't yet caught it on video, but I'm gonna try- maybe today.
Since birth, she's been a strong one- holding her head up well in the first 2 weeks and always moving around. Kinda scary when I look at Baz and see all the crazy things he does- she'll surely learn all of his moves- ack! She's also still a spitter- I've learned her pattern- eat, then burp and the first eruption comes. But it doesn't end there- I usually have at least 2 more aftershocks that fill up the burp cloth before she's done. Even with all of that, she typically spits even more afterward, so if she's sitting in her swing or laying down, her face and head are covered in puke. Poor kiddo! The good thing is that she doen't appear uncomfortable when this happens, so it doesn't look like reflux.
At this point, she's still up several times during the night (big surprise there!) but she sleeps great during the day...several 2-3 hour naps! I'm trying to get up the courage to put her in her crib one of these nights. It's hard when I know she'll sleep for 3-5 hours in the evening in her swing- will it be shorter in the crib? And when she's in the PNP next to the bed and I'm tired from feeding her, I just pop her into bed with me and I can get SOME sleep while she's nursing (not as good as sleeping by myself, but better than nothing). I do know that in the long run, we'll both be better if she sleeps in the crib for long stretches, but I'm not ready to CIO yet...oh, decisions, decisions!
As for growth, L looks to be doing great....at her checkup last week, she measured 23 inches and weighed 10 lbs,8 oz, which puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and almost 90 for length! What a change from my other peanuts! I think a large part of it is that I'm just not stressing about nursing this time. I've done just about everything in my power to try to exclusively nurse and it clearly isn't going to happen, so if she needs formula, she'll get formula. Clearly it didn't adversely affect the other two, so she'll be fine as well!
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