Pea trellis

My friend Daryl came over and helped me put up a pea trellis and stake my peppers. The peas were starting to wrap themselves on the green bean plants and creep out, so I had to get a trellis up for them. It was so easy! Daryl brought some bamboo rods she picked up at Big Lots! on the cheap, some plastic ties and yarn. We hooked the rods together and voila, a pea trellis. I think it took us like 20 minutes. Since I didn't put it up when I initially planted the seed I have to train the peas to grow up the trellis. Not a big deal because the plants are still very young. They should be really pretty growing up the trellis.


P helped, too. She found a branch with some leaves on it and wanted to plant it in the garden. Darly helped her "plant" it and P put a rock in a hole in the dirt she found near the peppers. What a cutie. It was also the day of bikini. My cousin gave us a little bikini swimsuit for her and I wanted to try it on her to see if it fit. Well, she didn't want to take it off and wore it all day long. Too stinkin' cute.

Father's Day

Father's Day was really nice. We walked to the park and had a picnic and then let P play on the playground for about an hour. Then later that afternoon we went to Auntie Carol's for a cookout with the fam. My parents weren't there because they left for Florida on Friday the 13th...ooooooohhhhh. We had dad and grandpa over the weekend before for a seafood cookout (shrimp, scallops and stuffed clams) to celebrate to be sure we honored my dad before he left on vacation.


Father's Day is always so nice because the weather is usually gorgeous. We typically have a cookout on that day and hang out outside. It is still kind of weird to think of Shane as a dad. I wonder if he thinks so, too. Sometimes I hear mom, mommy or mama and wonder who the heck the kid is talking to...well, it is me! crazy.

Garden

I finally have the garden I always wanted. Hubby built a flowerbox beside the deck and filled it with dirt and good top soil so I could plant the vegetables and herbs I wanted to plant this year. I was a little nervous because I have never grown anything but a few herbs before. The herbs did well, so I was assuming other veges would, but just didn't think my thumb was green enough for a garden. Our friend Daryl took P and I to the Anderson's to pick out what we wanted to plant and gave me some great advice on how to grow the plants. I was really excited to do this project with P hoping she would learn something and have fun with mommy, too.

We picked out tomato plants, red and yellow bell pepper, and Daryl gave us three banana pepper plants that were already small plants. I picked up stringless green beans and peas from seed, and thyme, parsley, rosemary, basil and lavender basil from small plants. We bought some tomato cages and discussed how far apart and how deep to plant all the veges and herbs. P helped me plant everything with her Little Tikes shovel, rake, and her hands of course.

We finished planting everything and were very proud of the work we had done. P and I talked about how the plants would grow and how we need to stay out of the flower box...which didn't really sink in because she was playing in it 15 minutes later and having the dogs run through it - I was afraid my green beans and peas would never come up!

Everyday we went out to make sure the soil wasn't too dry and check on the plants. I kept reminding her we needed to keep a lookout for the plants to come up from the seeds. And, after just a few short days the bean and pea plants made their grand entrance into the world! We...well, I was so excited! These are the green beans.















And these are the peas. The peas came up overnight! It was crazy. They were immediately little plants.










The green beans and peas really took off, and it has been really cool to watch them grow. Peyton gets excited to help water the plants and look at how big they are getting. I am going to start to measure them everyday with P so she can learn about measurements and how things get taller as they grow.





She is really happy to help, too!














The plants are growing like mad with all the rain. I took this picture today. I am going to have to start staking the peppers and look for support for the beans and peas so they don't just vine out all over the place. Hopefully we'll get some good eats!

Mommies Group

My mommies group is so much fun and the women in the group have become good friends of mine. They are each so different and fascinating in their own way. We generally meet every Wednesday at 10a and have some Friday outings. Once a month we do "mom's night out" on a Wednesday evening and try a new restaurant. We have so much fun together and they make me belly laugh with stories about their husbands, kids or lives. I truly feel blessed to have been invited to join such a group.

Yesterday, we took pictures of the kids together. We thought it'd be a great idea to start documenting them as a group to see how much they grow. Mommy Amanda is leaving us because her hubby got a job ay a practice in Indy, so we wanted to do it right away to be sure that Vincent was in the pics. They are special people who will surely be missed.

Here's the group of darlings sans babies....


Here are the babies...


Here is baby Ethan trying to eat baby Naomi...I guess he isn't allergic to beautiful baby girls!

Jumparoo!!

I put Ethan in the Jumparoo over the weekend and he LOVED it! It was so darn cute to see him get the hang of what he was supposed to do in that contraption. He started off kind of looking around and wiggling his legs. Then he realized that when he wiggled his legs the seat would move and wiggled them some more. Once he got the hang of wiggling he bounced a little bit which set off the lights and music. It totally made him giggle. Friend Mary let us borrow it since Sam is outgrew it. Sam loved it, too. Mary said he'd even fall asleep in it for 2 hours! ha!

We put Peyton in the little Einstein and she kind of freaked out at first. Their personalities are so different. We were also the first time parents that didn't realize she could have gotten in it much sooner...but, we thought she was too frageeelay.
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Baby in bed

Ethan is still in bed with me. He starts off in the pack-n-play in my room, but by 4:30a I can't take thinking of getting up again in an hour or two hours to nurse him again and I bring him to bed with me. I am so exhausted, and the only way I am getting any sleep is when he sleeps beside me. I know I need to move him into his crib, but right now that sounds like hell. He STILL gets up 4 times a night. I guess since he was sick the few two months of his life that set him back developmentally for sleep...at least that is what the doc told me. But, he also said that transitioning is going to be getting harder and harder because of separation anxiety.

I really like that my pediatrician places no judgement on people who put their babies in their own room at 2 days or 2 years. He said that Americans think the family bed is a weird thing and many think it unacceptable and dangerous, and then Europeans believe that Americans are crazy and not nurturing their babies by not having a family bed for at least the first year of the baby's life. Everyone has to do what is right for them - and people who place judgment on others for how they parent their children need to stop. I have people say to me, "that baby is STILL in your room?!" like I am crazy. My goodness, he is only 4 months old! I moved P into her room at 4 months, but it worked for her at that point. She did great and LOVED being in her own room. Ethan just isn't ready, yet...and neither am I. I feel like my body is finally starting to heal up and I am feeling rejuvinated in the mornings instead of like the walking dead.

Milk is for nuts

I am currently trying to cut the Silk soy creamer out of my coffee in the morning because I think it is causing a reaction in Baby E. He is allergic to soy formula, so it makes sense that he'd not be able to ingest it from me, too. The pediatrician said that soy breaks down differently than milk protein, so eating soy "should" be okay, but cut it out if he isn't doing better to test him. Well, everytime I use the creamer he spits up a ton and has diarreah, so I am thinking it is the soy. I am really hoping it isn't all soy - like the actual bean or the soy they use in baked products. That will limit my diet even further!

I cannot have any type of dairy because of his milk protein intolerance. He is extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of whey, milk fat, casein, and all dairy like milk, butter, etc. We are SO fortunate to have a Whole Foods down the street. That is the only market I can find certain foods I can eat. For instance, Almond Breeze. I simply love this alternative to milk. I just found it the other day and am jonsing to try it on my cereal. I used it in my coffee and it was good. I could even drink a glass of it alone. It is SO good. I am so happy because I think soy milk is dreadful - and the only way I could drink it was in my coffee with sugar. Almond milk tastes almost like dairy skim milk with a hint of nuttieness and sweetness.

And, it seems that the higher the percentage of cacao in chocolate, the lower the chances buttermilk or regular milk is used. So, I am able to still eat certain brands of dark chocolate! yeah! Having to cut out chocolate on top of everything else was killing me! I also find that there are a ton of delicious vegan recipes out there for desserts and things that normally include cheese or dairy.

I will continue to test him and hopefully get him to a point where he has no tummy problems. As I wrote before, thank goodness I can nurse him!

It is easier than I thought to live dairy-free - hopefully it won't be gluten, wheat or anything else-free.

When you think you have it bad...

I was making reservations at The Refectory for hubby and I's 6 year anniversary. I have always wanted to go there, and friend Amanda just went there with her hubby and said it was fabulous. I decided that would be perfect. As I was confirming my reservation I was asked to give an email address for confirmation. I thought this was an interesting thing for a bistro to ask, in a good way, and was interested to see what the email would look like and if it would just include confirmation information or what. Well, they use it as a marketing/pr tool - very cool. I haven't come across something like that before.

Anyhow, the confirmation had a very sad message included:

"On May 15, Rachel Widomski, a Haiku employee, followed a guest to the parking lot as he had left without paying the check. As he fled in his car, he ran over Rachel. Rachel has severe injuries and may be paralyzed for life.
Please join us June 18, for a special charitable Huia Vineyards Wine Tasting with proceeds going to the Rachel Widomski Medical Care Trust"

I waited tables and bartended for years. In that type of work environment you learn to depend on other people for your livlihood, and hope that the people you are waiting on are responsible citizens. I searched for the story online, and I copied it below. It is disgusting what this person did - gist - he ran out on the bill, when the waitress and manager went to ask for payment, he hit them with his SUV and put them both in the hospital. The waitress will probably never regain use of her legs.

Short North's outpouring aids 2 victims
Tips will be donated; art auction, concert planned
Saturday, May 24, 2008 3:05 AM
By Bobby Pierce

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JAMES D. DeCAMP | DISPATCH
Paul Liu of Haiku restaurant reacts to news of fundraising efforts for his wife and a worker, who were hurt chasing a fleeing customer. Elizabeth Lessner, left, is the Central Ohio Restaurant Association vice president.


Rachel Widomski


Julie Liu

Waiters and waitresses plan to donate tips, artists will auction their work, and bands will host a benefit concert to help a waitress paralyzed in a hit-and-run outside the Haiku restaurant.

A customer who left the Asian restaurant in the Short North without paying struck Rachel Widomski and co-owner Julie Liu with his sport-utility vehicle as they pursued him into the parking lot. Police say Michael A. Rose purposely ran over the two.

"Right now, I am overwhelmed by the people of Columbus," said Paul Liu, who co-owns the restaurant with Julie Liu, his wife. "Thank you for embracing us at this time of need and showing us how much love is in this city."

Widomski, 28, sustained severe spinal damage and is expected to lose the use of her legs. She is at Grant Medical Center under sedation. Julie Liu, 43, suffered a severe concussion, broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a dislocated wrist. She is recovering at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Paul Liu asked people to focus on helping Widomski, who has the more severe injuries.

At a news conference yesterday, people in the Short North gathered to explain how they plan to help.

"It is spirit; it is spiritual," John Angelo, executive director of the Short North Business Association said. "Rachel will need every ounce of spiritual help she can get to pull through this."

Angelo outlined what is being called Hope Week, an effort to raise awareness and money. He said the bohemian spirit of the Short North will support the women: There already are more than 70 volunteers.

Staff at Short North restaurants and bars plan to donate their tips to the Rachel Widomski Medical Care Trust at Huntington Bank. The Central Ohio Restaurant Association is trying to expand the fundraising throughout the area, said Elizabeth Lessner, vice president of the organization's board.

A benefit concert, with proceeds going to the trust, will take place near Haiku, 800 N. High St., during the June 7 Gallery Hop. There also will be a silent art auction at the Art Exchange, 17 E. Brickel St. Details of both events will be posted on haikuhelp.com and shortnorth.org starting Thursday. Donations are being accepted at haikuhelp.com

"We rushed here to give her love and support," said Widomski's aunt, Martha Mancino. "But when we got here, we found she already had that support."

A storefront at 650 N. High St. will showcase the women's lives. Visitors can write letters and read about their recovery. Widomski, who is a painter and photographer, will have her work displayed.

"The entire art community has given support," said Adam Brouilette, president of the Couchfire Collective, a local artists group. "That small-town feel really helps."

Widomski has lived and worked in the Short North for six years, her aunt said. She is a fine-arts student at Ohio State University. Her family plans to bring her out of sedation today, at which time she will learn the extent of her injuries and begin her rehabilitation.

She has some insurance through OSU, her family said, but the coverage will not come close to meeting her needs.

rpierce@dispatch.com

Along with several scheduled events, haikuhelp.com is set up to take donations.




Copyright © 2008, The Columbus Dispatch

For a baby with allergies, he sure can eat!

I was so afraid Ethan was going to be allergic to everything he ate after our interesting first few months. But, it seems he can eat just about everything...and he does!

Ethan started out the morning with a fresh leg of turkey and topped it off with an ice cream cone.


But, what is turkey without a nice braided loaf of bread?


And, of course, a bunch of bananas wouldn't be out of place with this delicious meal.


The cucumber....well, I am not sure what he was thinking there. Perhaps a salad? Or perhaps he just loves cucumbers.

Everything smells

If it isn't a dog farting, a poopy diaper, daddy's breath or the garbage, I smell. I started using Tom's deoderant and am not so happy with it...or any deoderant for that matter. I have tried just about every brand out there, crystals, homeade concoctions and now organic crap. Nothing works. It is embarressing.

I laid down to nurse baby E and that is when I realized Tom wasn't doing his job. Luckily, I took off my shirt I want to wear to a birthday party tonight earlier today...hopefully pre-stink. I am hoping my BO is more something I can smell because I am sensitive about it rather than a rude intruder when you go to give someone a hug. That would be horrible! Kind of like when someone leans over to whisper something to you and their breath is atrocious. That is when you can offer a mint, but you can't really offer someone a stick of BAN. :)

Storms

Last night was frightful! There were some heavy thunderstorms and the tornado alarm kept going off. My dog Piper kept crying and I came downstairs to calm him. He wanted me to sleep with him downstairs, but c'mon. I probably would have, but Ethan is still in my room waking up every 2 hours after like 1 or 2am. So, all the humans in my house, except me, were sleeping soundly. I thought for sure P would wake up, but she slept right through everything.

Needless to say, I am making some very strong coffee this morning. Hubby and E are still sleeping, P is watching Mickey Mouse and ordering snacks from our in-home waitress. She is singing the clubhouse song - unbelievable that she is doing these things called growing up and learning...what's up? :)

I was really worried about my garden. P and I planted tomatoes (red and yellow), peppers (red, orange and the banana peppers Daryl gave us), peas, green beans and herbs. I looked out this morning and the plants are just fine and the peas or gb (can't remember which row is which) that are coming up are even bigger today! Planting from seed is so exciting! Now the sun is out and the plants should really be happy having an equivalint to a Thanksgiving Meal and then a light dessert. ha!

Ethie baby

I am so smitten with my little boy. It is hard to believe he is already 4 months old!! Where did the time go? Oh - it went to being in a delusional non-sleep state. ha!

His current little ci vi consists of:

-Rolling over (he is getting pretty good at it when he feels like it)
-Sitting up (he is really trying to pull himself up to sitting - he needs a little incline help, though)
-Holding his head up (he is getting great at this!)
-Sleeping a bit longer than 2 hour stretches at night (he actually gave me a 4 and 1/2 stretch!)
-He is almost 18 pounds!
-He laughs and smiles all the time.
-He loves playing with his sister when she isn't too rough

Butterflies!

Papa, P and Ethan asleep on the left

Papa came over today for lunch and we took P and E to the Conservatory to see the butterflies. P was so excited. She kept talking in music class all morning how she was going to see the butterflies and Papa was coming. When we got there she loved looking at the butterflies, but only from a distance. One landed on our stroller and we had her look at it. She totally freaked out. Seeing the bug up close and personal was a little too much for her. Then she didn't want to look at any because they were creeping her out. Ethan slept most of the time and when he woke up he cried for just a second. He is so easy to take places (I write that now...). The chrysallis room had many butterflies hatching. We saw two coming out and one wiggling around. I tried to get P to look at them through the window. It was funny - once she got a good look at what was going on she freaked out again. Maybe just seeing them really close made her uncomforable. hahaha!

As I am writing this, Ethan rolled over for the second time in a week!

Hubby back!

It is so nice to have hubby back in town. He was in Oregon from Wednesday to Saturday for a web-conference. He is currently working to launch ecommerce on BigLots!' website. It is kind of what he was hired for and is super excited to be heading it up. He may get to hire another person to work for him in addition to the two he has already. It will be a lucky person to get him as a boss...well, as long as they are driven people like he is. He is pretty demanding and a perfectionist, but that is why he has such a great reputation within his corporate walls and around town.

Yesterday, we took P to the ultimate playground. The only thing it needs is a bit more shade and some color, but it is seriously crazy. Then there is a small playground next to it that is good for the wee ones. The crazy playground has swings, sand, lots of mazes, tire obstacles (for older kids) and a little music thing. We had fun - except for one thing. Hubby put P in a tree and she started crying. Turns out he scraped the backs of her legs on some nodules on the branch. We didn't realize it until we put her down to play again. She cried and cried for me and we thought she was just scared of being up high...these are times when it will be nice when she has the developmental capability to say "daddy hurt my legs." Right now she just cries if she hurts and doesn't understand to say where and why she hurts unless she is probed. Well, in this case, I didn't even know to probe her. Then when I saw the two scratches down the backs of her legs I felt so bad! She was fine, though.

After that we went to Amul India for some delicious Indina buffet, which I could not partake of. Luckily, they had something on the menu without butter or dairy. The waiter was terrific. He totally got how important it was that I had no dairy and recommended a dish for me. He said it is crazy how in America the Indian food changes. He said that the dishes they serve here are full of butter and cream and it isn't like that all the time. Even the rice they serve had butter in it! That must be why we like it so much! We just laughed and said that American palates like the high fat additives. He was from Southern India and said they cook with some cream and butter, but that isn't typical. He said it is hard on his system to have a lot of dairy and especially fast food. It was interesting to hear his outlook on food in America...and not surprising. I am sure many Americans don't even think twice about the types of food they eat. Now that I am dairy-free it is interesting to taste the difference in food. Food almost tastes "cleaner" if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I love butter and cream, but I don't miss it like I thought. I do miss cheese every once in a while, but not enough to eat it. What I do miss is a good chocolate chip cookie.

And, I thought I found one. We headed down to Pattycake Bakery for some vegan baked goods. I was really hoping to find a really great chocolate chip cookie. Well, it was good, but not great. On the other hand, whoopie for the whoopie pie!!! It was delish and I am so glad I bought two. They also were giving away birthday in celebration of their three-year anniversary. The cake was also delish. If they keep doing baked goods like that they will definitely be around for another three years.

Weird

There are times in my life when I get strong feelings of death, happiness (like good luck) or pregnancy. Recently, I was feeling the feeling of sickness, but not death. My grandpa ended up really sick with shingles. I guess shingles is really hard on older people, and it is on my grandpa for sure. He has a spot on his head and in his eye. His eye is totally swollen shut and he has to put drops in it 10 times a day. My aunts and mom have been taking turns staying with him. He is scared because he feels so horrible. He won't even nap. He lays on the couch and does what little bit of exercise he can and fights sleep. Then he is grouchy and fights with my mom and aunts all day! ha! He says that no matter what age they are, they are still his daughters and he still can't help but to treat them like little kids. They are all in their mid to late 50's, too, so they don't like to be told what to do by their aging father.

And, on a good note, I found out yesterday that one of my friends from my mommies group is pregnant and a couple of days ago found out my cousin is pregnant with twins! I am so excited for them. I thought for sure it was going to be my cousin Candyce telling me she is pregnant because I am the closest to her, but it was my friend and cousin that lives in NJ. I hope all goes well with both girls, I know they are a little scared. They have both have had a rough time the second time around, and the first time around in my cousin's case. It is kind of weird - both girls have one girl of toddler age and they both had HELLP syndrom the first time around. Crazy. Well, I will keep them in my prayers for a healthy and non-eventful pregnancy.

I have to write a shout out to my friend Susan. She has really been a support system for me over the passed few weeks. I really respect her advice - especially seeing what a great mommy she is to her little girl. One thing that is truly special is her honesty. I have never had a friend who is truly honest with me about the deep downs. It is weird, it is like she understands me even when I haven't said anything. I also adore how she snuggles with Ethan. He loves it, too. :)

Rollin' down the sand hills, Rollin' down the sand hills WEEE!

Ethan rolled over this morning! He has been trying to turn over, but I wasn't sure if it was just his way of trying to say he wanted to eat. I heard him cooing at 5am this morning. He was just laying there awake looking at the ceiling or his hands. So, against my better sleep judgement, I picked him up and brought him into bed with me. He just turned his head and smiled his little smile that has been one of the more consistent things in my life...along with P's new way of whining. Anyhow, he kept trying to turn towards me and rolled right over. I let him lay there for a bit to figure out how to turn his head. He did a good job, but I wasn't thrilled with his face buried in my bed and turned him over. He didn't try again.

He has also been pulling himself up when I hold him. I think he is trying to sit up, too! What the heck!? I spoke with my mom this morning and she said I was sitting up just a week shy of turning 5 months, so it is possible. He has been doing everything a bit earlier than P was. She was right on target for the most part, but he seems to be ahead of the curve a bit. The pediatrician even commented on that fact. I am glad the pedi told me to be aware of the various milestones coming up because I kind of forgot! I need to do my research again to see what to expect.

He talks to me all the time and he just stares at me. It is so cute. A man in the grocery store commented how Ethan just can't keep his eyes off of me. I think that is a boy thing - boys just are in love with their mommies, girls are too, but I have heard boys are a little more lovey for mommy. I don't know about that theory because P is pretty mommy-focused. Daddy has been gone for almost three days now and she has only asked about him once. She went to our friend's for a few hours last week and talked about me all day. I also stay home with her, though.

I better run - need my three day shower and to feed E before going off for playtime.

I knew it!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby and I were watching some show on HGTV a few months ago and I thought for sure I recognized one of the handymen as a guy I had a HUGE crush on in high school. Well, I happened to be looking online for some information and low and behold I came across HIM!! He has his own stinkin' show on HGTV!! He was seriously the HOTTEST guy in my highschool. I remember he played football and I would walk behind him trying to muster up some nerve to even say "hi." I couldn't do it!! He was far too good-looking to talk to little ole me was what I thought.

If I only knew our interests were going to be similar as we grew into adults, I may have said something to him...who knows, maybe we would have gone to a sock hop or something together. ha! I recognized Steve Hanneman because of his eyes - look here and you'll see what I mean: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hheds

Here is an article written in the Columbus Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/01/19/1_HANNEMAN.ART_ART_01-19-08_D1_3P92E9B.html

Good gravy. Well, I have my new...old...celebrity crush!!!

I think of Walmart as a stinky poopy diaper, anyhow...

I am a child. Seriously - totally the most immature person I know sometimes and I LOVE it.

Kristine and Tammi know what I mean because their pictures have ended up in Target picture frames. Well, mom and I were at Walmart and the baby had a blow out. I changed him in the shoe aisle because P could stay busy running around trying on shoes. Then I thought it would just be hysterical to leave at diaper in a box for the next unassuming customer. Mom and I laughed so hard. She thought I took with me, but I left it. In the box. Down shoe aisle two.

Well, we got back to mom's house and she got so upset with me because she said they have cameras and she shops there often. She was afraid they may recognize her...and I laughed at that, too. One because IF something like would ever happen it would be like a Simpsons episode and two because she was seriously worried and I like to laugh at that, too.

And, here are the pics. I would make a horrible criminal because I document all of my antics.

hahahahahaa!

Pedi Visit

P and E both saw the pediatrician today. Ethan got his 4 month check-up and immunizations and P got her ears checked out again. Ethan is doing really well and growing well.

Ethan 4 months:
17 lbs 8 ounces
26 inches
HC 17 inches
90th percentile for height and weight

It cracks me up that P and E are night and day. She was only in the 50th % for height and the 10th for weight. ha! Long and lean and E is long and strong. :) We've requested that he gets only one live virus vaccination at a time and I ask everytime to be sure the shots are themerisol-free. The MMR is going to be tricky. If hubby doesn't want that given as a trio, I am going to have to go to the health department and get the shots individually and have the nurse administer them. Sounds like a big hassle...I'll have to see how strongly hubby feels about this. I spoke with the doc and he had some great information about it, but hubby has a friend whose two kids suffer from some degree of autism and his friend believes it was from immunizations and live virus immunizations. So, hubby is on his friends bandwagon. But, hubby is just looking out for our children, and for that I give him major kudos and will support him as much as I can.

I feel good about canceling our trip to Oregon. The doctor recommended we do not fly. He said P's ears still look pretty bad and that it wouldn't be good for her to deal with the pressure change and everything that goes along with plane travel. We got a doc's note for the airline - hopefully we can get a full refund.

Ethan's sleep habits are perfectly normal for a 4 month old. He said that I need to work a bit more on letting him fall asleep on his own, but how often he gets up and his short naps are no concern...they are normal. He also said that the way he sleeps at night will get better, but I have to not feed him each time he gets up. I am both happy and disappointed about this information. I was hoping to hear that I had a huge fix on my hands so I was in control of the situation. Seems it is not my situation to control, Ethan has to get there on his own (for the most part). Oh, I hate not being in control! I think that is the hardest part about having kids for me. They get sick, grow-up, eat what they like, etc. and I can only help when needed or guide when needed, but I can't make the choice of when everything happens. arrrgh. :) ha! I am reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and it has some great pointers. Much of the advice I have already been doing (from previous experience with P), but many things he suggests I had NO idea about. Such as naps - I need to be better with Ethan's tired cues and getting him to nap. Sad thing is, morning activities will have to change or I need to get him up earlier so he can nap before we go out and about. I guess the morning nap should be in the crib - not in a car seat or in a stroller. This puts a little damper on things for a while, but I suspect going to one thing a week during his naptime won't be too detrimental. We'll see.

I am feeling much better about everything. Just hearing that what I am doing is good and that my kids are fine is more than I can ask for. Now the guy the drives through my neighborhood everyday blaring his radio during my kids' naptime, well, that can stop anytime...and that just may be in my control.

I really need to loosen up. I am so high strung most of the the time and worry a ton. I need to chill out a bit - this is where my doc suggested working out at least three times a week. I haven't been diligent about any type of exercise since E was born...and really am dying to get back to something. I haven't saved for the Rec Center, and that was the biggest life saver for me. I have the cash now, so I need to go join again. I have to do it for my body and mental health. I need to get this weight off!!!!!

I was expecting this...

I am taking P to the pedi this morning. He wants to see her. I think she has yet another ear infection. She was up all night and early this morning crying. Hubby went in to get her this morning and she wouldn't calm down until I got her. I had to nurse E and felt terrible that she was crying for me and I couldn't really be attentive to her, but she was fine waiting. Ethan slept okay after 1am until 5am and then was up again. He is super congested, too, and I am really scared he is going to get an ear infection. ugh. He also has had some bad tummy problems this week - I think that is why he hasn't been sleeping well. Seems I cannot eat any chocolate, and I was eating brownies all week and chocolate chips. Poor little guy - I was basically making him sick so I could feel better. :) But, who knew! Now I know! Thankfully, he is not allergic to beer because I think I need one right now.

We decided that Shane is going to Oregon alone to his conference. Shane traveled with an ear infection once and lost some hearing in his ears. He doesn't want something like that to potentially happen to P if her ear infection is still lingering. And, with a recent double ear infection and potential ear infection now I agree with him. I think that taking the kids to Oregon with the time change and them both just being sick is not fair to them. I'd rather hang around here and make sure we are all on the mend and get back to being normal humans instead of zombie-like creatures. Oh well - it'll make our Florida trip in the fall that much sweeter.

Update:

We saw the pedi - P has a double ear infection. She also has a temperature of 104 and is basically just laying on hubby with her eyes half open. It is so sad.

Tired...forever?

I was up last night with Ethan pretty much the whole night. He is now sick, again. He has the same thing that Peyton had, and now I am getting it. Can the little guy catch a break? It seems he has been sick more than he has been healthy. And, isn't this the time when the illnesses are supposed to beginning ceasing? Not in my house, it seems everyone got sick when the weather started getting nicer. I think we caught this round at Mila's party because Mila and Kelly both got sick and the symptoms are the same. Bridgette and the kids were sick, too, but they had been on antibiotics and I doubt they spread anything.

I need sleep. Hubby took Peyton to Angie D's house for the day. I am taking advantage of every second Ethan naps to nap, too. I have a doctor's appointment this morning and I need to go grocery shopping, but that is it. I slept on the couch with Ethan last night because he would not lay down in his crib or with me in bed. He finally fell asleep in a position that worked with me being propped up by pillows. I really hope I don't have to do that again tonight.

This little baby boy is giving me a run for my money. I cannot even believe how hard I thought Peyton was until I had him. She was a piece of cake! I am really happy to have Ethan, but having two really young children is more difficult than I had imagined. But, part of that is my state of mind right now. It will get better soon.

Over it

I am just over it.

Being Creative

Hubby wants me to pick up my guitar again. I bought a Fender two years ago and have been meaning to teach myself how to play, but I just don't have it on my current list of priorties. Well, I am putting it on there. The hard part is going to find the time to sit and practice. I wish I had a friend who could give me free mini-lessons, but everyone seems to be busy or not musically-inclined or if they are musically-inclined they do not play guitar.

I want to be able to sing and play children's songs...maybe even write some of my own. That sounds like so much fun to me. My sis-in-law has sent P a couple of CDs from Gemini and they have great songs they sing to guitar and other instruments. P loves them and Laurie Berkner. It'd be great to teach myself their stuff so I could sing to my kids.

P freaked out when I brought the guitar out. Like crying freaked out, not like excited. Hopefully she was just having a day.....or this could be difficult.

Mother's Day Weekend

I had such a great weekend - I am so blessed with so many great family members and friends. I wasn't expecting so many people to wish me a "Happy Mother's Day." Wow - was it special! Hubby got me a gift that I have been really wanting, but I think it is also a message...it is a cleaning service to come in for a day and deep clean the house. ha! YES, we totally need it, and yes, I have been very lax. BUT, I did just have a kid and am adjusting to life with two kids.

Now, are they going to help with the pile of laundry in my room I have been meaning to get to for three weeks? The dirty bathroom that needs the dust behind the toilet cleaned? The baseboards that have mud or food splattered on them from the kids or dogs? Behind the fridge where I dare never to go or look for that matter? My windows? Wow - I sound like a filthy person!! Really, I sweep, dust and mop often, but the deep cleaning stuff is SO dreadful and SO needs to be done.

Anyhow, about the weekend. Mila's birthday was Saturday. She turned three. We all had a great time. Peyton loves Mila and they played and played. One of them would end up in the bounce house yelling the other one's name until they came, which they never did because they are 2 and 3 and don't really get that when they hear their name they need to come running. They were both in the ice chest eating the dirty ice from holding cans of coke, water and juice boxes all day. And, Peyton played with Mila's toys that I didn't expect her to be interested in. She loved her little plastic animals and a game that had these little Scooby Doo figurines. I just am having a hard time adjusting to her getting older - I need to learn how to play with her and what activities to do. I am still so into her being a baby still.

Yesterday we went to my mom and dad's. My brother and his family were in town. We had brunch and visited. P play hide and seek with her cousin Bailey - super cute. He is 9 and seemed to have to much fun with her. Ethan was good all night Saturday and all day Sunday. He certainly has won some hearts over. Of course, I get to drive home with him screaming. Ha!

We almost have everyting set for the basement to be finished. Hubby put the final light fixtures in and started ripping the drywall down in the bathroom. I can't wait to pick out fixtures for that bathroom and actually use it. That will be the guest half bath from now on and I can redecorate the kid's bathroom, too.

Mom's Day

I had written this in mind when Peyton was a wee babe. I never put it down because I simply didn't have time or forgot or was too lazy. But, today I put it down in tribute to myself and other mommies who are incredibly tired...and wouldn't exchange one hour of sleep that would mean they'd miss that hour with their babies. I am a mom, an incredibly lucky mom and today I realize how special it is.

You look into my tired eyes. It 3am.
You fuss and battle me because you are hungry?
Maybe tired?
Maybe uncomfortable?
A scratchy sleeper?
You look into my tired eyes. It is 3:15am.
You slobber and put your fist into your mouth, but you don't eat.
Are you hungry???
Maybe tired???
Maybe uncomfortable???
A scratchy sleeper???
You look into my tired eyes. It is 3:45am.
You fuss and fuss again.
I question and question again.
Maybe tired?
Maybe uncomfortable?
Maybe a scratchy sleeper?
You look into my tired eyes. It is 4am. This time I don't get up to put you down.
I smile.
I hold you.
You smile.
You nuzzle.
You sleep.

Today is much better

Thankfully, today is much better. I took P to play at the EBC and Beth and the kids were there. It was nice to talk to her. It is crazy how we each have our own issues, but can totally appreciate and understand each other. Becoming a mother is more challenging than I thought, and now being a mother of two that challenge has increased. I really want to be the best mom I can be and feel I never even get close to the vision I have for myself. I guess just thinking about Sheilah and feeling a little sad right now.

The woman who delivers our mail stopped by our garage sale a couple of weeks ago. She has a woman who takes care of her 89 year old mother with a new little girl, and I guess taking care of the older woman (I originally wrote "old lady," but that sounded kind of crass...) is the only income she has. The mail lady asked if we had any 12 - 18 month clothing that she could buy for the woman's little girl. Well, it has taken me a few weeks, and considering P wasn't/isn't in 18 month for summer, I didn't have much to offer. But, I found a few things I bought last year that still had tags that are 12 month for summer. I pulled those together and a few other things that I thought seemed like they would fit the little girl and gave them to the mail lady this morning. She wanted to pay, but there is no way I was going to take her money. I just hope the clothes can help.

And, given that story, I am feeling mournful concerning Sheilah. I really miss her and am so bummed that my kids will only know her through stories. Sheilah was her own amazing philanthropist. She was constantly giving to others. At her sickest, she was still crocheting little blankets for the small children in DF's cancer ward. Well, one of the jumpers I gave the mail lady was a Disney jumper Nicole sent P last year for her birthday...from Sheilah. Even after death, Sheilah was looking out for her little granddaughter. I had put that jumper in the stuff I took to Once Upon a Child and it came back to me...I truly think for a reason. I wanted to keep it, but Shane and I discussed it and decided that Sheilah would have given that mail lady the jumper for that little girl...so, that is what I did.

We a making a donation each to DF in Sheilah's honor for Mother's Day. It won't be much, but any little bit we can give to hopefully find a cure for women's cancers will hopefully help.

I forgot to notate P's 2 - year pediatrician visit:

34 inches tall (50 - 75th %)
24 pounds (10th %)
I have to convert her crib into a bed.....NO! :)

Having "a day"

I am having an emotional day today. I am on the verge of tears constantly. I don't feel well and I think that is the main reason for it. Plus, it isn't a good thing to not feel well, be tired, and go through baby clothes on a rainy day. It is rough emotionally. I was looking at clothes P used to wear and it was making me really sad because she is growing up so quickly. And, believe it or not, but E! He is currently 3 and 1/2 months old and wearing a 9 month sleeper. Can't I stop time and take the time I need to really enjoy them? No, I guess not. I have to take all the time God has given me to have children and watch them grow.

I had the carpets cleaned today. Just in the living room, up the hallway and the area rugs. It is time to get winter completely out of the house! The only thing I hate about it is that things aren't back where they are supposed to be. I don't deal well with that. I am by no means a neat freak, but when I have a bunch of papers on the mantel and I expect to see them there, when they are moved it makes me feel uneasy. I have to get used to the change. I know, I am weird.

Hubby says I am far too hard on myself. I couldn't get dinner done so hubby is picking it up and P and I just watched movies, played a little bit and listened to music while we went through clothes. Nothing really major or fun. It made me feel guilty to have her watch Peter Pan and then a Bug's Life in a row, but, she wanted to...and I let her because I just don't have the energy today to get her mind occupied on something else. Hubby just said that I have to stop and take a break sometimes -that not everyday has to be full of activity. He said my goodness, you kept our daughter healthy and fed, and nursed our son who may just come up with a way to drop corn into countries with starving children to keep them fed. hahaaha! He always makes me feel better.

P is so funny. She wanted to wear her snowsuit and wanted mommy to make it snow so she could go out and play in it. She got really upset when I was explaining that it won't snow for a while and mommy can't make it snow. She cried for like 5 minutes. Awwe...I know it is hard for her little mind to get it. Poor thing. :)

Bounce Yer Brains Out

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

From my dear, sweet sis-in-law

Kristin,
I just received this today. Funny Somebody never said being a Mother you would have to give up a friends wedding to nurse your baby. Normal is history.
D

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.... somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.* * *

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct . Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.* * *

Somebody said being a mother is boring ....somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a'good' mother,your child will 'turn out good'....somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.* * *

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.* * *

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first .... somebody doesn't have two children.* * *

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery....somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten ..or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'* * *

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.* * *

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....somebody never had grandchildren.* * *

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.... somebody isn't a mother.* * *

yep...bummed

So, I am super bummed out today. I spoke with my friend who is getting married in June. I had to cancel my plans of being in her wedding because of Ethan's weird food issues and refusal of the bottle. Now, I knew being a parent would be difficult, but had no idea I'd have to made decisions like missing a good friend's big day. My friend is fine and totally understands, but I am not fine. I am upset and disappointed. I was so looking forward to seeing her walk down the aisle - I know what she has been through trying to find the perfect man and to see her finally get hitched was something I always wanted to see. She so deserves this perfect day in a perfect dress with the perfect cocktail.

She is getting married in a Catholic Church and the reception is at Wentworth by the Sea in New Hampshire (wentworth.com). I was going to stay at that beautiful hotel the night of the wedding and with her in the bridal suite the night before. We were going to spoon on her last night of singlehoodom. hahaha!

Hubby asked me if I would hold this against Ethan. My first answer without a doubt was no. There is no way I could hold this against my son. I mean, he can't help that he had trouble with his digestive system. If anything I am holding it against him that I can't have ice cream. just joking. Anyhow, I priced the cans of Alimintum (which would be our next step in regards to trying formula) and it is $27 a can....that would probably only last about two days. Luckily, I nurse or we'd be in a world of financial hurt over this. So much for his college fund. hahaha! No, really, I actually have a friend who has a contact at Ross Labs and she said she'd help me out, and we would just do what we had to do to feed him. That is what you do as a parent - make sure your baby is comfortable, eating, growing and happy. And when all of that is happening, you are happy, too. At least that is how it is in my world...and I love my little world of a toddler, a baby and a crazy hubby.

and, look at that mug......

A week that felt like a year

I am so glad last week is over. I was totally looking forward to P's birthday, and totally stressed out by it as well. Getting the house together, planning the menu, thinking of games in case it rained, following to be sure people could come, etc. etc. etc. It all ended up being for not. She got sick, real sick, and not matter how much I willed for her to get better for the party I planned I couldn't take away the sickness.

Earlier in the week Ethan got sick. He was sick all night long on Monday or Tuesday, I am so tired right now that the days mesh together, so whatever. But, we do know he has food allergies...and so hubby and I found out, he is refusing to take a bottle, too. ugh. This means that even if I spent hours and hours pumping he still wouldn't take it because he decided to be difficult...well, he knows he has a choice now and no matter what, a nursing child will always choose mommy. This puts a damper on my life. And, lucky me, P is finally feeling a bit better and he is deciding to not feel well...for the umpteenth time. I am so over it. When will my baby be 100%? And, when will I ever get to sleep?

P was diagnosed with a viral infection - that is what was giving her the 103 and 104 degree fever. She also has a double ear infection. The scariest part of her being sick was how she looked. Her eyes were half open all the time and she just looked miserable. She would still smile if we tried to make her laugh...what an angel. Last night she kept dancing to the Wiggles, so I was hoping that meant she was on the upswing. This time she was. She slept almost through the night and was up this morning looking SO much better. She had her 2 year appt. at the pediatrician and he said her ears looked pretty bad but that was to be expected. When we got home she showed how 2 she really was. She was hitting Loki with a wrench she got from hubby's work bench downstairs, she kept jumping on the easel mom/dad got her, she kept feeding the dogs and kept screaming when I asked her to stop because Ethan was FINALLY sleeping. I was laughing inside even though I was getting annoyed. It was pretty cute, and I am just happy she is feeling better.

Stilla fevero

P still has a fever. Not so happy about this. She has been quite fragile (Susan introduced me to this lovely word when talking about babies...love it!) all day and it breaks my heart. Her little eyes are so heavy and she cries at the drop of a hat. She is still stinkin' cute, though.

This morning I made a coffee cake and she came in the kitchen and got wide-eyed and asked "oooohh, what is dat?" I told her and she responded "ooohhh." As if she had the cake before and it was a special treat. Thing is, when I served her a piece she wanted nothing to do with it. So much for bribing my sick daughter into eating. Well, at least hubby got some popcorn in her when they watched Big Bird in Japan....anything to keep her quietly sitting since she refuses to nap today. I can't believe she wanted popcorn, but hey, at least she ate something! As a mother, I am frantic about what she puts in her body. It is almost an obsession. It is a NEED for me to have her eat three squares and snacks, and normally she eats really well. So, with her being sick and not eating I am torn up. My child is sick and I hate it.

This morning it was pouring rain and I was feeling less sad about canceling her birthday party. Then 3pm hit and it was beautiful. Blue and breezy, perfect. Then I remembered, even if I wanted to have her birthday I couldn't. P is sick and needs to get better...not party.

Hubby and I decided to just have family over Sunday evening for a cookout and cake. A small celebration for her birthday. I think she'll be really happy to see Grammies, Papa and her cousies.

Ethan is sick, too, but it is just a cold. I am so over him not feeling well. I mean, how much more should a little 3 month old endure? Hopefully this means he will be a invicible when he gets older. I took a picture of his little butt today. It is so cute and dimply - hubby and I laugh at how chubby he is. The cutest thing ever is when I take him out of the bath and put him in his towel. His back is to the mirror so I can see his chunky thighs and behind - he kicks his little legs and his chub shakes. I adore it.

P is TWO?!

Miss P turned 2 yesterday. She seemed more like a little girl than ever...watching her play and the things she was saying to me - made me realize how quickly she is growing. She was so cute yesterday morning when we talked about her birthday. She didn't really get it, but she just went along with it and we enjoyed the day. First, I took her to library storytime. It was the first time in the 2 - 31/2 class. Normally, we went to the 6 - 24 months, but since she was officially 2 I wanted her to be initiated into her first 2 year old class...and on her birthday! How perfect, I thought. She had fun. When we got home she played outside and then wanted some chocolate so we went out and got her a cookie. Then I put her down for a nap. I knew she wasn't feeling that great and I wanted to be sure she was rested for her big outing to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. When she got up from her nap I let her open two of her presents - one from hubby and I and the other from baby brother. Hubby got her this adorable Wonder Pets flyboat with the characters - she LOVED it. I was in awe because I didn't think she was old enough for such a toy...boy, I no nothing about toddlers! I got her ABC flashcards, a growth chart, and Nemo Bubbles. I am not a fan of the Cheese, but kids love it...and she was no different. She had a ball. It was adorable.

I actually had fun people watching. I saw the woman with the biggest body and tiniest head, I saw a snot-nosed three year old that couldn't keep her hands off of my baby and I felt like I had to spray him down with sanitizer everytime she poked at him, I saw a mother with her belly hanging out hogging the children's version of roulette to win tickets for her kid (she should have had a cigarrette hanging ot of her mouth), and the topper was a grown man fighting with younger boys over tickets. uhmmmm....

Anyhow, I am extremely bummed because I had to cancel P's birthday party. She has a fever that keeps climbing. Last time I checked it was 102. She is watching Nemo and seems okay, but I don't think it would be fair to have a bunch of people over with her sick and then with the possibility of getting the other kids sick. She doesn't really even understand that there was going to be a party for her tomorrow, she is a little too young to get it. I bet she'd be happy inviting a couple of friends over and playing in the dirt, and possibly eating it. We may reschedule for Sunday, but I am not going to push her.

Can't breath

Baby E is doing much better, but he now has a cold. ugh. He was up a lot last night coughing and sniffling. Poor thing; he has dealt with a lot of sickness in his brief time on this planet. P is sick, too, I think. She may be teething, though. I noticed a couple of little teeth buds where her eye teeth are supposed to come in. It hasn't stopped her from eating, so I am thankful of that. I always worry when she doesn't eat...because that girl can eat as skinny as she is. But, she has a runny nose, hubby is all congested, E is dealing with something and I am starting to feel congested. blah.

But, all of that illness sounds like heaven compared to the story my good friend just told me. My good friend Kelly is the entertainment director at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. She has been involed with festival for about 15 years now. She started as a wee babe named Colleen the town Cryer. I met her as Rose Rainwater, a fiesty washer wench who made fun of everyone, and she was Colleen the know-it-all washer wench who I loved to push into the pond and cover in ooey gooey mud. Fun pic - she is on the far left and I am on the far right....



Anyhow, she spoke with our old guild leader and gave me a little update on their lives. Come to find out our old friend's oldest son had done a little jail time that I never knew about. The reason he went to jail made me literally jump out of my seat. He had fallen asleep while watching his 9 month old baby on the couch. Well, the baby got wedged between the couch cushions and suffocated. Worse than horrible...just dreadful. And, on top of losing his child he was blamed for it. Now, I understand why he was blamed, but it wasn't like he purposefully killed his child, but he obviously is at fault. Gosh, I just can't believe the sadness that family has gone through.

That story makes me want to reevaluate how I am currently sleeping with E. By 4am he ends up in my bed because I am too tired to get up for the 4th time in the night to nurse him. It has scared me from the get go having him in bed with me, but I keep doing it because it makes him happy and I get sleep. There by the grace of God go I.

Formula can be the devil

Okay, so I can understand why breastfeeding nazis are the way they are. E was sick AGAIN last night and it was because of formula. He puked from 9:30p until 4a and has had stinky poos/diarreah all day, and it is all my fault. I gave him two and a half ounces of Isomil Advance last night. My plan was to get him used to the taste of formula in case hubby runs out of breastmilk while I am away in June. We found out early on that E has a milk protein intolerance from his reactions to my breastmilk - so I cut dairy out of my diet, and now it looks like he has a soy allergy because of his reaction to the soy-based formula. That means either no formula or we have to spring for the incredibly expensive hypo-allergenic stuff. ugh.

I guess my plans have to change for pumping. I am going to have to pump once or twice a day to store enough EBM for while I am gone and also for a few days upon my return in case he decides to not go back to the breast. I'll have to be a pumping mom, then. And, that sucks for me because I hate to pump, but I will do what I need to do for him. I really don't want to put him on formula unless I absolutely have to - that is my own choice. I am not against formula, well I kind of am now after how sick it has made my baby...twice, but I really want him to have the same start P did. Her start was 13 months of breast only - she wouldn't take a bottle. I hope to do the same for E, but I would like for him to be able to take a bottle when needed.

Donating Maternity and Baby Stuff

So, the garage sale didn't go as well I as wanted it to and I have been looking into options as far as unloading the maternity clothing my friend and sis-in-law gave me, my maternity clothes and some baby items. I took some stuff to Once Upon a Child to see if they could take any of it and have been doing research to find places to donate clothing. I really didn't want to take the clothing to places that resell the clothes, rather places where women truly need assistance and cannot afford even deeply discounted used clothing.

I posted on Mamasource (www.mamasource.com) and some of the women were very helpful. The site really helped me out because I couldn't find what I was looking for by simply googling...my internet research skills aren't as good as they used to be! The mommies on Mamasource suggested Pregnancy Decision Health Center and from there I got another place called Maternity Resource Center. Both places take gently used maternity clothing and baby clothing. The MRC takes baby gear as well.

I plan to gather all my stuff together and take it down to the Pregnancy Decision Health Center this week. Once I start unloading more baby stuff, I will contact the Maternity Resource Center since they take the bigger items and older baby clothing.

Pregnancy Decision Health Center
http://www.pdhc.org/

Maternity Resource Center
http://www.bflco.org/

SO...THIS MORNING

Okay, so this morning I am going through her clothes that didn't sell at the garage sale to take to Once Upon a Child. I have a ton of really stinkin' cute baby girl summer clothes and am hoping to get some cash for them.

Anyhow, P is playing outside and comes to the door. The dogs run in and I ask, "do you want to come in or stay outside?" She decides to just stand there in the doorway while I ask..."In or out?" Then I say "I can't just stand here all day waiting for you to decide if you want in or out." She promptly replies "why not?" okay...so my child is going to only be 2 in a week and the backtalk is ALREADY starting???? :)

Cookout

We had friends over for a cookout yesterday in honor of two good friends that just got new jobs. My friend Daryl is going to be a special needs teacher and co-teacher at one of the city's art high schools, and Geni is working for Whetstone Library. Both jobs really suit both girls, of course Geni is still holding down 30 hours a week at North Star and at a yoga studio...I don't know how she does it!

The cookout reminded me how much fun we all have together, and the fact that there are now kids in the mix it is much more fun. My friend John cracks me up. He and Geni like kids but aren't into having them. John is great w/ kids, but he has a limit...and who can blame him. I sometimes miss the days of going to hangout and having a few beers w/out having to entertain or talk about kids. Anyhow, the dads were taking the kids to the park and John got guilted into going. It was just funny how he reacted, and quite sweet that he went.I think Peyton has a crush on him. ha!

P loves playing w/Mila, Myka and Amaya. She seems to get along w/Mila really well. She always gravitates towards her and they have fun playing together. Mila is turns 3 one week after P turns 2. If I hadn't lost the first one Mila and P would have probably had the same birthday and been the same age, of course, it wouldn't have been my darling P. Mila's laugh and happy-go-lucky demeanor make her such a joy to be around. Last night they left and then Kelly brought her back in. I thought they forgot something, but Mila wanted to give hugs and I guess cried in the car because she forgot. What a sweetie.

I am happy we had the cookout even though it was rough after having the garage sale earlier that day. But, I did get a lot of cleaning done for P's party next week!

Flattered

As my readers know, Ethan was born at the end of January. Well, two girls in my mommies' group just had babies, too. So, there are three brand new ones in addition to our other little ones in the group. It is so much fun to see our group expand and welcome new little lives to befriend.

Well, I find it interesting that all three of our babies were born with a full head of brown hair and weighed in the 7 lb range. Ethan was born at 7lb 3 oz, Joseph was born at 7 lb 10 oz and Naomi was born at 7 lbs on the dot. And, we got so so many compliments on how cute E was when he was a newborn, and those same people should see these two little ones, too. They are just precious! Wow are we lucky mommies to have cute babes on top of having healthy babies. God couldn't have been more generous! And, I am so flattered because the girls each put their new little ones in the outfits I gave them. That was such a nice surprise when I looked at their hospital pics and recognized the outfits. They were my absolute favorite sleepers.

Beth put Joseph in the brown and blue striped sleeper I picked out when I was 7 months prego for E. I loved it, and it was the only newborn one I bought - luckily, because E was in it no longer than a minute. The sleeper Heather put Naomi in was a gift to P that my best friend in Boston sent. It was from Germany, so you probably won't find another baby in it here in Ohio! P and E and now Naomi have gotten to wear it!

Looking at those newborns makes it unbelievable to me that Ethan is 3 months old today.

Travel Breast Pump

I did it. I bought a manual breast pump: the Avent Isis On-the-go. It came with 4 extra bottles, two newborn nipples, the pump and a handy bag to carry it in for $60 at Target. It took me a while to decide what to do because when I go to New Hampshire I didn't want to bring my electric pump. It would be too big and then I'd have to worry about the battery going dead, blah, blah, blah. So, I decided to get a hand pump. I am putting it together today to see how it works.

It has a lot of parts to it, but it looks easy to assemble and carry. It says it is really quiet and assures good massage for let down. From what I read, it works really well. I read reviews on Amazon and inquired on the La Leche League forum. I am crossing my fingers that it isn't one I have to constantly pump and end up getting carpel tunnel.

I'll post again once I get it cleaned, boiled and used.

Night Nurse

I am pretty sure E is going through his 3 month growth spurt. He has been eating a ton. Last night he was up every hour and a half and gulping down milk as if he had never eaten before. Needless to say, I am really tired today!

My legs are starting to hurt again. When I nursed P coming into the third month of her life I started to get really bad feet, leg and knee pain. I could barely get out of bed my feet and legs hurt so badly. I spoke with the doctor and they didn't act like it was correlated with nursing, but it clearly was. I went to Whole Foods when P was about 9 months old and spoke with the vitamin people there. One of the girls that helped me was nursing her child and said she had the same problem and that it was due to low levels of calcium in my body. P was deleting my resources so she could get what she needed to grow. Well, I went for a walk on Friday and noticed it was happening again with this baby. I hadn't been diligent about taking my calcium, which when I started taking it with P noticed a difference in less than a week with how I felt. My body loved it and the muscle and joint pain virtually disappeared. I also am staying on my prenatal vitamins. My LC told me when I had P that I could take Women's One a Day while I nursed, but that wasn't a good choice for me. That vitamin didn't have enough of whatever I needed to support what my body needed, so I started back on my prenate and an extra calcium supplement. That really did the trick, and I am hoping that it will this time, too.

I take calcium with magnesium and zinc twice a day in addition to PrimaCare One, which is my prenate. My prenate has added fish oils and is supposed to help while pregnant with brain development in babies and also while nursing. It worked with P - she is a smart little cookie. We'll see if it works with E, too. Could just be a myth, but who knows. I just look forward to my body feeling better.

So cute

I am sure that every parent has "those" things that their children do that just make their hearts melt. Incredibly cute, adorable, sweet and loving little things Peyton and Ethan do remind me how sweet I am on them, and also that they love their mommy and love just being alive.

Yesterday, Shane and I took them to the park. I had to nurse E, so hubby played with P. I was watching her run the way she does - with her little bounce and her little arms out in front of her. She runs like the stereotype of a little girl. I caught myself just sitting there and smiling at her as she played. She likes to run up to me and tell me that she "swing, mommy" or "I pppllllay in the dirt, mommy" or whatever it is. If she is out with someone else she has to come home and see me immediately and tell me what she did. A few months ago when I was pretty much just taking care of my newborn, she went to her cousie's birthday party. She got home an ran up to me and said that she went to Chuck E Cheese and showed me her little goodie bag. She was so excited to have gone and seemed so excited to tell me about it. It made me feel so special.

Ethan, even in his mere 12 weeks, is quite the heartbreaker. I will have him laying down on the floor and doing something with P, or trying to keep her from hitting him, and I'll look down and he is just beaming up at me. Almost as if he was trying to get my attention the whole time by smiling. I love it.

Peytonisms

"How about that?" Used if happy about something, if she did something that should be praised, if she is asking a question.

"Okay?" used as if answering "yes"

"Okay?" used as if whatever she is saying is what we are planning to do.

"Anodder song" meaning please sing a different song because the one you are singing stinks.

"Want some sishies" give me Goldfish crackers now

"milk" give me my milk

"want some.....want some...uhmmm..." give me a snack now

"mommy rock" I want mommy to put me to bed

Scared, much?

This weekend was really rough with my new little baby. It all started with a bottle I gave him of half EBM and half formula. He took the bottle okay and seemed okay for the following two hours, then it all started. My poor little guy started puking and didn't stop for about an hour. We took him to the Children's urgent care to get check out. At first they just checked him out, but then he got sick in front of the doctor. It was a little too green she said and wanted to x-ray him. The x-rays came back okay. He just had bubbles in his tummy and intestines which were the cause of his puking and diarreah. Basically, the bubbles signified a virus he had gotten. Who knows where he could have gotten that! We have been all over the place with playtimes, classes and shopping - I mean, I can't just stay in the house...especially with a toddler. I have to come to terms with the fact that I am going to expose him to germs and that he may get sick. It is so hard knowing it is probably all my fault he got sick.

Saturday night he just kind of laid in my arms with his eyes looking so drowsy and as if he was in pain. His little cry was like no cry I had heard from him since he was born. It was kind of a half cry like saying "I hurt, mommy." It just broke my heart.

The doctor said to just feed him an ounce or EBM or Pedialyte or let him "snack" if I wanted to breastfeed. If he ate too much we risked him puking it all up again because his tummy just wasn't in a state to handle too much food. We got through the night okay. He ate a little bit through the night and fed okay on Sunday morning. Then the next scare happened - there was what looked like blood in his diaper from peeing. I called my pediatrician again and she said that it wasn't blood but uric acid crystals from being dehydrated. Interesting. Then at lunchtime I fed him too much and he got sick all over me. That was so awful. It came out his nose and he just screamed and cried and cried. That was the last time he got sick, though - thankfully. Since then he has eaten, just less than normal, and he has had diarreah. He is peeing fine which means he is not getting dehydrated from the diarreah. If he stops urinating as much I am going to take him in again, but the pediatrician didn't seem too worried. She said a stomach virus was going around in kids. argh! Makes me not want to let anyone hold him or touch him for fear of him getting ill again. It is so scary when they get sick at such a young age.

P's Birthday

Whew! I am going to have a TWO year old! What is up with that????!!! I swore never to get married and have kids, and now look at me - an old married woman with two children....and I couldn't be happier!

P's birthday is May 1 and I am getting my plans underway. I have the invitations written out and just need to address the envelops and get them in the mail. I am inviting all of her little friends she plays with and family. We went in with a friend of our's on a bounce house and hopefully it will be in by her birthday. That'll be big fun for the kids, and keep them occupied! I have a few things in the works for activities and am still deciding on food. I need to get the cake ordered. I am all about ordering this year and making it easy on myself. Getting everything ready for the day isn't going to allott time for cooking, and that is fine with me. That part is always the most stressful when I am trying to pull everything else together...and this year I'll have Ethan to take care of in addition to cleaning, preparing, taking care of P, and shopping. Cooking just won't fit in. Now John can't complain that I put too many onions in the mac-n-cheese. :)

Papa Bill (Papa Bear as P calls him) gave P her birthday dress for Christmas. It is the cutest little pink Strausburg (strasburgchildren.com) with a purse. I can't wait for her to wear it. I will probably just put her in white little shoes Candyce let us borrow or get her some sandals.

I love planning her little birthday party. It'll be so much fun to plan E's as well. His will be so different since it will be for a boy and in the dead of winter. I'll have to put my thinking cap on for that one. Hopefully, this birthday party planning deal won't prompt a sweet 16 party that will end up on MTV...even though I am saving for it now (just joking).

Ethie baby

I can't believe there was ever a time when I said I wished my second child was a girl. I am SO smitten with my little boy. He is such a cuddley little monkey and so easy to take care of. He has just stolen my heart.

Over the weekend

Ethan update:

Ethan has found his hands and sucks on his fists. He is also much more aware of things around him and has started making solid eye-contact. He totally giggled at me the other day and I melted. He smiles all the time, very unlike P. P was a very sober baby. I have a feeling that they are going to be SO different - not just because he is a boy and is much bigger than she was as a baby, but his little personality is so different. P was kind of intense - you had to work for her smiles and coos, Ethan is the opposite. It is so cool to have such different babies.

It is funny that I write that P was intense, she still is, but she is so darn funny and laughs a TON now. She is really smart and is quite the talker. I just love seeing her grow. Sometimes I forget how young she is - she has such a mature little soul. She really loves her baby brother now and constantly checks on him and worries about him. I love it.

P update:

Well, as I mentioned, she is quite the talker. Her vocabulary has grown over the last two months by leaps and bounds. Strangers can understand her better, too (not just mommy anymore). She can tell me what she likes and dislikes. She looks more like a little girl than a baby. She is taller and more coordinated. She loves to dance, sing and get into things. :)

This weekend was rough on me with her because she got hurt twice and got a bad case of diaper rash. Saturday we went to lunch with friends and she burnt her mouth on potatoes. It was so sad. She cried and cried. At bedtime she even mentioned it. Her little conversation with me was about her friend Mila and then how a potato burned her mouth. awwwwe. Then on Sunday she fell and bit through her lip. She has a nice bloody swollen lip, but it doesn't seem to bother her today. Kids are so resilient. Then on top of those things, hubby let a dirty diaper go too long and she got a horrible case of diaper rash. Part of the reason was because of juice - she had some OJ that morning, and coming out it isn't very friendly to the tooshie. But, she is just fine and in a good mood...thank goodness. Not a ton of crying this morning.

LllllllLLL

P is working on her L's and it is hysterical to hear her pronounce words such as: pillow, Halloween, play, little. It is like her tongue gets caught in the roof of her mouth and she says "lllll" and then really draws out the end of the word. So, pillow sounds like pilllll lllll LOW.

She is currently addicted to the Jungle Book, and of course I keep asking her to say "jungle" so I can hear her L pronunciation. Speaking of the Jungle Book, I can't believe her attention span. She has been watching it for about 45 minutes and hasn't gotten up. I think she may be tired because generally she can't sit and do something for more than 5 minutes. Oh, TV is the devil and an angel. I have been able to get SO much done in that 45 minutes it is crazy. I put Ethan down for a nap and have done laundry, put laundry away, cleaned the kitchen, gotten dressed and talked to my sis-in-law. OH - and am posting. crazy....

I have had to cut out dairy from my diet because of Ethan's milk intolerance. The pedi said he'd like for me to cut it out at least until May and call him if I want to try to put some back into my diet. It is fine for me to be off of it; I just need to remember to take my vitamins. Since cutting out dairy, cutting down on all the sugar I was eating and cutting down my portion sizes, I have lost 5 pounds. It is really making me excited to lose the rest of my weight. I haven't put myself on a diet, per se (especially with bfeeding), but I am really trying to make good choices and cut out all the snacking I was doing. I have to lose AT LEAST 10 pounds to fit into the dress I need to wear for my friend's wedding at the end of June. I think that is doable - I have like 3 months. I would really like to get off 20 by then, but we'll see. My goal is to get down to around 138/140 (I was 142 when I got prego with P and felt heavy then). I am currently 162, so I have a long way to go! Gotta love having babies.

Drop your pants and boogie!

Hubby took P to our friend Daryl's last night. This is what she emailed me this morning:

"Peyton chased the cat and dogs and bossed Jogn around. She also kept going to the kitchen, dropping her pants, and dancing. Very funny."

My sweet family

Baby Ethan is 7 weeks old.

Miss P is 22 months old.

Oh my children

Yesterday I went to the mall play area with my mom, Aunt, Cousin and her kids. P had so much fun. Before we headed down to play we had lunch. P was very happy to munch on cheese pizza and have juice. I think that is her favorite meal...probably because she loves it and doesn't get to eat it that often. After lunch we gathered the troops and went to the play area that is full of squishy animals and slides to climb all over. It is a big enough area, too, for little ones to run around like mad people.

Peyton made some new friends that were about 5 times her age. These cute girls about age 11 were just smitten with P. They played with her and talked to her. P just loved the attention. My mom was watching P and when I came over to check on them my mom said to just watch what was going on. It was tremendously cute to see P interact with them and visa versa. P would run around and play and just watch to see if they were behind her. I wish they were a bit older and I would have asked if they could babysit sometime. ha! Baby E slept most of the time. That was a good thing because when he woke up he had to get his diaper changed about three times and nursed once, and I should have nursed him before we left, too. Other than needing to be fed and changed he was very good. He didn't start crying until we were about to leave. It was nice to know I can take him out for they day with little hassle.

Now, if it was P as a baby it would have been a hassle to me. The only reason being that I was SO uncomfortable nursing in public with her. I wouldn't do it, and if I had to I would freak out a bit. She wouldn't take a bottle after 3 months, so I had to nurse her for all of her feedings. With Ethan I don't have any issues nursing him in public. I mean, he needs to eat and I try to be discreet. Now, if I had some dude sitting next to me I probably wouldn't do it, but I don't really go anywhere that I would have to worry about sitting next to a strange man. My friend Susan just let me borrow a couple of nursing shirts. I am syked to try them out. I also bought the Bella Band, which has worked out fabulously. It is just a band that you wear to keep your maternity pants up and postpartum works as a "cover-up" for that skin area when you have to lift your shirt to feed the baby. Now, as my mommies group has discussed - it is absolutely not okay to expose your belly when you nurse. Heaven forbid someone see your once prego flab, but your boobs...oh well, who cares. ha! Cracks me up!! You'd think we were all on the Girls Gone Wild videos exposing our breasts at sometime or another. Really, we just want to give our babies good mama's milk and we don't care who gets a glimpse of the nip.

Ethan's first round

I took E to the pediatrician this morning for his 2 month check-up and immunizations. He received FIVE shots and one oral for Rotavirus. Ugh. Poor thing. He handled it like a champ, and I am proud to say that so did mom. I did not cry this time around and I am not sure why. I still felt as bad as when P got her shots, but since I have been through it before I think it was easier. Plus, he IS a boy, so SHOULDN'T he be able to handle getting those measely little shots? haha! As if...men are worse than girls about that stuff...sorry guys.

He cried and whimpered for a bit after the pokes, but I think that was because he was hungry. My little guy is not so little. Since his 12 day check-up he has gained 6 pounds 2 ounces and grew 2 full inches. Wowzers. I knew he had gotten bigger, but didn't think it was that much bigger. No wonder my boobs are so damn BIG.

His current stats at 2 months:

Weight: 13 pounds 14 1/2 ounces
Height: 23 3/4 inches
Head circ.: 16 inches

I am going to administer a bit of Tylenol and let him sleep all day. I think that is pretty much all he wants to do, anyhow.

P spent the night at Gammy and Papa's. It was easier to take E alone today, and after the appt. I was able to run a couple of errands. P had a great time with Gammy and is currently on her way home to hopefully take a long nap. She has been up passed her bedtime three nights in a row and needs to rest. That is when they grow, ya know?! :) at least so I am told....