Pearly Whites

Alex cut two teeth within a couple days from each other--the first was the bottom left center tooth and a couple days later its counterpart on the right side came through. This was a bit of a surprise and he is the youngest any of the kids have been when they cut their first teeth. It makes me a bit sad to think he won't have his toothless Muppet-like smile much longer.

Progress Report

This week has been busy with parent-teacher conference and a well baby check-up so it seemed appropriate to give a quick rundown of how everyone is doing.

I met with Eva's teacher on Monday for a parent-teacher conference. Eva is doing really well in pre-Kindergarten. "I wish we had a room full of Evas" and "The next time I'm gone, I'm going to have Eva be my substitute" were some of the glowing things her teacher had to say. Eva is working above and beyond where they expect her to be. Go Eva!

Alex had his 6-month well baby appointment today. He weighs 20 pounds 7 ounces and is 27.5 inches tall; that puts him at the 90th and 80th percentiles respectively. Since his 4-month check up he grew 1 inch and gained 2 pounds. I'm hoping that his growth rate is starting to slack off a bit. Most babies double their birth weight by 6 months and he is just a pound shy of tripling it!

Developmentally, Alex is doing really well. He still doesn't roll over from back to front but the doctor isn't concerned (he either doesn't care or maybe it's just a lot of weight to move around). He is strong and wiggling around the floor, sitting up, vocalizing well, transfering objects from one hand to the other and even started banging two objects together. He is just fine.

Cora is now two and a half years old. We decided that enough was enough and this kid needed to potty train over the long Thanksgiving weekend. She is doing really well and I feel like the pride and confidence she is feeling by being potty trained just might be lessening her not-so-fun behavioral traits as of late. She is two and, man, she is REALLY good at it.

When Cora isn't yelling "NO," she is incredibly funny. She is also observant and a problem solver. Today, when we were waiting behind some cars at a red light she was suggesting that I go different directions. I told her that we had to go straight to get to where we were going. She said, "But you can't go straight because the cars are in the way." We'll work on her understanding of traffic laws next.

Literal

Cora: Goodbye, Brody!
Eva: That's not Brody.
Cora: Goodbye, Not Brody!

Why I Love This Man

Matt is a great husband. He works 40+ hours a week, brings home the bacon and fries it up (literally). He does housework and home improvement projects. He reads to and plays with the kids every day. Most importantly, he does all these things with a smile.

He is not a macho man and has nothing to prove. He is not materialistic in the least and is never caught up in appearances. He is always looking out for our family and making sure we are taken care of now and for the future. But this is why I really love him:

This is Althea Mae. Back in December 1984, when an 8-year old Matt was dreaming of an Optimus Prime Transformer (like most boys that year), he found this under the Christmas tree instead. The story is retold every Christmas and it never gets old.

Eva and Cora now play with Althea and with my old Cabbage Patch doll (Carla Marie, in case you were curious). Eva was playing with them one weekend last month when we realized it was October 1 and Matt remembered that it was Althea's 27th birthday.


Matt hammed it up for the camera.

I wish you could have seen it in person because I laughed so hard that I cried. This is why I love this man--he is HILARIOUS!

A man and his Cabbage Patch doll.

Eva's Journal

I stumbled across this link the other day--it's the site where we chronicled Eva's first year.
http://www.babysites.com/sites/babyeva/default.asp?page=home&seq=1

I had forgotten all about it and it was a fun trip down memory lane.

More Cora Funnies (again)

While taking Alex's temperature she said to me, "You are a very good doctor, Mommy."

Warning: Vulgar but funny
Cora had an incredibly long and loud toot (Matt and I were staring at her with our mouths open due to it's duration and volume). Afterward she said, "Oh, I burped!"

She also said of this song http://www.musictogether.com/ListentoOurSongs (click Hello Song to hear a snippet), "This is my favorite song!" Listen to it 5 times in a row and see if you wish you would suddenly lose your ability to hear.

Full Hands

My aunt has said in regard to the number of children one has, "One is like none and two is like ten." If that math is correct, then three kids is actually like 15 (or would it be 20?). It sure feels like it sometimes. The frenetic pace that three kids has brought is a little crazy (sometimes it's a lot crazy and I actually think I'm losing my mind). Matt sat down one evening recently and said with exasperation and exhaustion, "Somebody always needs something!" Gee, really?

I get why three kids might be a springboard to agreeing to have four, five or more children (though we are done!). I think it's that tipping point between manageable and plain nutty--once you've crossed over into nutty, you might as well stay the course.

Having Cora really rocked my world and I had a hard time "starting over again" with another newborn (no sleep, no schedule, no life). Adding Alex has been much easier. Maybe I was more prepared for the upset that was going to occur? Or maybe it helped that Eva can do a lot of her personal care and is very helpful around the house? Either way, adding him to our family was not too much of a shock.

Even though I have some days that I just want to put all three of them in a box with a sign that says, "Free to Good Home" I would obviously never trade them for anything. Each of them is so different and so special and have already taught me so much in their short little lives. I met a woman recently at Eva's school and she told me, "You have your hands beautifully full." And I truly do.

Today in a nutshell

Wake up.

Put dishes away.

Get self ready for day.

Clean house.

Put Alex to bed.

Make a cake and subsequently destroy kitchen.

Get Alex.

Have friends over for playdate (children still in pajamas).

Friends leave.

Feed Eva & Cora cake for lunch (because I’m the mom and I can).

Put Alex to bed.

Put Cora to bed.

Put dishes away again.

Waste a little time on the computer.

Get Alex.

Read some books to Eva and Alex.

Put Alex to bed again.

Get Cora.

Get Alex after he did not fall asleep—it’s late enough so he’ll just go to bed super early.

Take everyone outside to play in the driveway.

Play referee for Cora and Eva.

Blow some bubbles.

“No, let’s not play with the paint today. Oh, you can open it yourself? Too late…whatever.”

Eva gets paint on her clothes—drama ensues, sadness and despair, etc.

Cora gets paint on her clothes—doesn’t care.

See two large black labs and one very large German Shepherd coming down our street.

Elsie, who was shut in the backyard (or so I thought), comes rushing up the street toward them barking, hackles raised. Chaos ensues (second time I used the word “ensues” in this post).

Somehow get Elsie inside the house (all the while holding Alex).

Decide that we need to go inside.

Cora has tantrum.

Strip Cora down inside the basement (due to paint all over her clothes).

Turn tv on while I wait for the man of the house to come home.

Matt comes home—some order is restored.

Put Alex to bed.

Scarf some dinner.

Matt fills hole in fence and starts some laundry.

Put Alex to bed again.

Sit for a few minutes on the couch and watch the girls run laps around the coffee table.

Put Alex to bed AGAIN.

Tuck girls in.

Type this post.

(Not included are the million diaper changes, breastfeeding sessions and food preparations that are part of my daily life.)

Alex's 4-month Check-up

Alex had his 4-month check-up today. He is 18 pounds and 6 ounces (95th percentile) and is 26.5 inches long (91st percentile). You know your child is the exception rather than the rule when the nurse can't stop giggling (really, couldn't stop--get a grip, woman) over how big he is and your pediatrician uses words like "sumo wrestler" to describe him. In regard to milestones, the pediatrician said to go ahead and let him scream his head off at night because he should be able to sleep much longer at night than he currently is. Also, he is not rolling over in either direction--the doctor noted his excellent strength, muscle tone and head control and said he's just a little "lazy." So it's not a lack of ability that is preventing him from rolling over but a lack of motivation (making a mental note of this for the future). I prefer to think of him as low key rather than lazy.

Eva Funny

After learning that I received a shot today at my doctor appointment Eva said, "Did you get a mom band aid?"

More on Sleeping (or should I say less?)

We are just a week away from a magical mark. Yes, Alex will be 4 months next week and according to the "Sleep Bible" (aka "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child) this is when we can finally sleep train with success. Up until now, Alex has been pretty good--not perfect by any means, but pretty good. I have noticed lately that it is getting harder and harder to get him to sleep as the day wears on and he is waking up a LOT more at night to eat. We've been letting him cry a bit more to see if he can calm himself and go to sleep but we usually cave after some time and soothe him. He calms down and falls asleep within 30 seconds of being picked up, so it has become a matter of wanting our presence rather than an inability to sleep. So if you go past my house and hear incessant screaming, you'll know why.

Speaking of sleep, here are Eva and Elsie cuddling during an afternoon nap. Elsie would do anything for a good afternoon cuddle and she was happy to cozy up to Eva while she snoozed. Eva made sure Elsie was nice and toasty by throwing a leg over her.

Funny story: A parent at Eva's school told me I'm "Super Mom" as I unloaded my three munchkins from our van. I laughed and said I was far from it. But maybe not...I'm SUPER tired most days and my house is SUPER messy. Maybe I am "Super Mom" after all. Here are my kids looking SUPER crazy in jammies and some winter accessories. The pacifier in Cora's mouth is just for fun--she seems to think it's pretty funny these days.
Random: Alex contemplates hair choices. A buzz cut or a nice brown weave. Which do you prefer?

Sleeping Situation

I have had a hard time putting Alex in his crib to sleep. Since this is our third and final baby (that's the plan), I have not been in a rush to put him in his own room. Also, I have two other kids to take care of when I wake up so it is key to my survival to get as much sleep as possible and that has meant co-sleeping with Alex. We have an actual co-sleeper next to our bed but Alex inevitably wakes up to eat and the next thing I know it's two hours later and he's still snuggling with me--it's sweet and I don't mind it one bit.

Alex now takes all his naps in his crib and starts his night out in there until I go to bed and he asks to eat. Other times, nursing him to sleep while we both lie in the big bed is the only way to get him to settle down and go to sleep. The other night we were laying in bed gazing lovingly into each other's eyes and I started to sing him a little ditty that I always sing at bedtime and his eyelids got heavier and heavier and then he was asleep (I felt like the baby whisperer). It was a sweet moment.

Back to napping... He still takes a lot of 45-minute naps and that's starting to get old but I know eventually he'll stretch out and it will all be ok. In fact, I noticed yesterday and today that a few of his naps were closer to an hour long (of course, one of those naps ran into the time that I had to get Eva from school so I had to pull a sleeping Alex and put him in his car seat).

A Bunch of Random Things

Life has been so nutty the past few weeks and I'll get to that later. Here is a post that I started but never finished. Riveting stuff, for sure.

The Terror/Terrier in our Backyard:

After five years of unsuccessfully pursuing wildlife in our yard, Elsie finally got lucky. She caught (and killed) a shrew in the back yard and was having a lot of fun flinging it around until I stepped in a took away her fun (literally). Eww!

Cora's Bee Sting:

Eva put her hand on a bee and the bee did not appreciate it. I had her treated in no time and gave her ibuprofen and benadryl to help with her comfort. That night Cora was an absolute dream. We typically have to wrestle her to get her ready for bed but that night she lay peacefully and without fighting to get her pajamas on. Matt said that Cora should be stung by a bee every day.

Some cute pictures just because...

Don't their cheeks look similar?

Such a happy boy! He makes short, fat and bald look good!

Alex's 2-month Appointment

The stats:
Head Circumference: 50th percentile
Length: 23 inches/50th percentile
Weight: 15 lb. 11 oz./95th percentile WHOAH!

Alex is healthy and doing really well (obviously with a weight like that)! He received three shots and an oral vaccine and seems a little off today but is still his happy, laid-back self.

Cora keeps us laughing

Cora continues to amuse us with just about everything she does and says (when she's not driving us crazy). Some recent funnies:

"Uncle Phil, you change my poopy diaper?"

We have had the following exchange a lot in the past few days:
Cora: "I have idea."
Me: "What?"
Cora: "I don't know."

Also, she loves to pretend she's fishing (thanks to many episodes of Little Bear) and always finds a stick outside that becomes either a fishing pole, a walking stick or both.

Pics of Alex

Here are some recent pictures of Alex (9 weeks).


Don't you love his little piggies?


I realized that many months or years from now I will look back on this picture and I wanted to remember just how little he is at this moment.

Tummy time!

A little fuzzy, but I wanted to share a picture of his sweet smile.

Eva Ties Her Shoes

I've been meaning to post this but I'm so horrible about editing and posting videos. Here you go--prepare to be amazed! = )

8 Weeks Old

Alex is now 8 weeks old! He is still a pretty easy going guy and he is doing really well. He is sleeping longer stretches and usually gives me one good long nap (2-3 hours) during the day and a decent stretch at night (5+ hours). Though, now that I just wrote that I'm sure I've jinxed myself and Alex will be up every 2 hours tonight! He has his 8-week appointment at the doctor next week so we'll find out just how chunky our future football player is (though, considering the high rate of head injuries football players endure, I don't think I'll let him ever play football).

Alex LOVES Eva. Anytime she holds him he is so calm and comfy and nobody elicits more smiles from Alex than Eva does. Apparently, he is so comforted by her presence that he fell asleep last week while she was holding him.


Monkey #2 sleeping with her dee-dee (blanket), baby and a thumb in her mouth.


Three Musketeers!


So smiley!



Dad & his boy. We drove up to Lake Ontario because I was going to go nuts if I didn't escape the 5-mile radius in which I live and shop.


Me and my gang of three (Alex is under my nursing cover).



Apparently this is Cora's new favorite pose.


Cora thought Alex needed some company.


Cuddling my sleepy little guy (don't you love his pink Sleep Sack?).

Alex's Birth Story

On Friday, June 3, we went to the hospital for a scheduled induction. I was dialated 3 cm and the pitocin was started around 9:30 a.m. By late afternoon my contractions were getting painful enough to get the epidural (sending love to the person who invented the epidural).

At 6:20 p.m. (an hour after getting my epidural) I was dialated to 6 cm and they broke my water. My nurse started bringing in equipment to prepare for the birth and I told her, "Either you are very organized or very hopeful." At 6:40 p.m. (20 minutes after breaking my water) I am dialated to 9 centimeters. WHOAH! The resident says, "Let's call the doctor. You're are going to have this baby." Yes, let's call the doctor.

Well, this hospital is a little different than Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Various private practices deliver there but I don't think that while anyone is on call that they are actually at the hospital unless they have scheduled procedures/operations/appointments. In Milwaukee, our doctors had their offices in the hospital and when they were on call they were at the hospital the entire time. At this hospital my doctor had to be called and then she had to get in her car, run some errands, get a pedicure, drive through Dunkin' Donuts and then mosey on into the hospital to catch my kid.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital I start experiencing the most excruciating back pain known in the history of mankind. Our little stinker was posterior, meaning he was facing up looking at the ceiling rather than looking down at the floor as he should have. What does this mean for the laboring mother? Well, the baby pushes on the nerves in your back causing extreme pain and it is harder to push the baby out because he is coming out with a wider part of his head. Eventually, I tell my nurse that I don't give two hoots about whether or not the doctor is there--get the resident and let's get this baby out!

I finally start trying to push out our posterior facing baby. Fortunately, the epidural masks the pain of the contractions (thank God) but doesn't even touch the excrutiating pain in my back. Also, I had both the girls out in no time (10 minutes for Eva and just 5 minutes for Cora) so my expectations for this delivery are a bit high. In between pushing I look at Matt and say: "Why is this so hard? I really need him to come out. This is so hard!" After pushing for 20 minutes Alex is finally born!

A couple of interesting facts about Alex's birth:
1. He is our smallest newborn baby weighing 7 lb. 2.7 ounces (Cora was 7 lb 3 oz). Considering his presentation and how difficult it was to push him out, I'm really glad he was small.

2. In the course of his in-utero acrobatics, Alex managed to tie a true knot in his umbilical cord. A true knot can cause some serious problems (things I don't even care to speak about), and we are glad he is safe and healthy. From what I've been able to find on the internet, true knots occur in about 1% of births. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/262470-overview#aw2aab6b6
http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/complications/cord-knots.aspx

Banner Week for Eva

Some great firsts for Eva this week:
-She learned to crochet--her single crochet needs some work but she can crochet a mean chain. She is the proud owner of a crochet hook and picked out some variegated purple yarn.

-She learned to tie her shoes (her new light up sparkly tennis shoes seemed to be the inspiration for learning this valuable skill).

-She purchased her first ice cream treat from the ice cream truck.

Check-ups for Cora and Alex

I took the three-ring circus to the pediatrician today for Cora's 2-year check-up and Alex's 1-week check-up (many thanks to my mother for all her help getting us out the door and assisting during the appointment). Everybody is healthy! Here are the stats:

Cora continues to "follow her own curve" in the weight department but the doctor is pleased with her upward trend. She weighs 22 pounds and is 33.5 inches tall. That puts her at or above the 50th percentile for height and she is still below the chart for weight. I believe the doctor used the word "peanut" to describe her. She was a champ during her exam and even opened her mouth to let the doctor check inside (as opposed to screaming and the doctor taking advantage of the opportunity to peek inside).

Alex weighs 8.9 pounds and is 21.25 inches long (can you really use the word "tall" to describe someone who is not vertical?). He is in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. He is packing on the weight and gained more than a pound since his weight check last Tuesday. Most of this weight is stored in his extra chin and his cheeks. We are on our way to having a chubby baby!

Cora's Second Birthday

Amidst the drama surrounding our final weeks of pregnancy and Alex's birth, Cora turned two. We had a simple celebration at home and Cora really got into the cake and presents. Just last night she was singing "Happy Birthday" in her crib.

Sisterly love.

Our little clown.

Having fun opening presents.


Can you tell that Cora's favorite part is the frosting?

One of our last pictures as a family of four (as always, Cora isn't looking at the camera).

Looking summery for Memorial Day weekend. We went to the zoo and the aquarium.

Not Pregnant! (aka Welcome Alex Robert)

Alex Robert was born on Friday, June 3 at 7:52 p.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds 2.7 ounces and measured 20 inches long. At his weight check on Tuesday he was already back up to birth weight (the kid likes to eat!). We are enjoying the "honeymoon" phase and hoping that Alex's easy-going and happy nature lasts (it would be a shame to have to return him, though I'm guessing his good looks will be his savior). The girls are absolutely in love with him and enjoy holding and talking to their baby brother.

We got out of the house this morning and took everyone to the park. It was a little more work to get out the door, but mostly our timing was determined by when Alex woke up to eat and how long he decided to nurse.

We have had so much help and are incredibly grateful for all the time and energy our parents have given to help with this transition. Many thanks to Oma, Dzia-dzia and Gram (aka Matt's parents and Leslie's mom).

Still Pregnant

Yes, still pregnant. There are more details but I don't have the heart to go into it (rest assured that everything is fine). I will explain once this journey is over.

For those of you keeping score at home, these are the dates and positions of our baby boy:

May 10 at 36 weeks and 6 days--started ultrasound in transverse position (meaning he is laying across my abdomen), ended the ultrasound in the head down position

May 24 at 38 weeks and 6 days--head down

May 27 at 39 weeks and 2 days--head up

And a mere 24 hours later on May 28, at 39 weeks and 3 days--head downish ("oblique" is how the doctor described it, meaning he is just a little diagonal)


This is not completely unheard of in the world of obstetrics but it is rare. By the time women reach the point of labor only 3-4% of babies are breech. Breech baby means that he will have to be delivered via c-section and I'd rather avoid that if I can. Let's hope he stays head down and starts doing whatever it is he needs to do to vacate the premises.

Talk, talk, talk

Cora is rocking the complete sentences these days. Not all the time but they are getting more frequent. Here is a sampling from the past few days:

"I love bacon." (well, who doesn't?)
"I love lemons."
"I really missed you."
"I need more salad, please." (apparently, Cora loves coleslaw)

Eva's Last Day of School

Eva had her last day of school yesterday. There was a short program in which the kids sang a few songs and then we had her class party. It was a really great school year and Eva already said today that she misses school. Hmmmm....might be a long summer.

Last day of school pictures reveal a much older and wiser Eva:

Flashback to her first day of school:

May 2011 Thus Far

Mother's Day 2011--we had brunch at a restaurant near our neighborhood and it was so nice that we decided to walk there (~1 mile each way). By the way, we figured out the magic formula to have Cora eat in public and actually sit still--make her walk and then provide plenty of chocolate cake at the end of the meal.

Hanging out at the playground behind our house after brunch.

Doing some yard work that afternoon.

Chillaxin'

Here I am in all my pregnant glory--large and in charge and getting some love from Eva.

"No pictures please."

More funnies

Eva last night at bedtime to Cora: "The point is, I'm tired and crabby."

Cora this morning after putting on some sunglasses: "How look?" (for "How do I look?").

If at first you don't succeed...

Cora attempts to eat her peas by putting them in between her toes.

Some recent pictures

ETA: Tried again to fix the weird spacing. Still didn't work.

This picture of Cora reminded me of a picture we took of Eva when she was younger that I just had to dig up and share. Cora at 22 months.

Flashback to Eva at 16 months. Really, the only thing that looks the same to me is the dress.

Cora enjoying some new pillows.

Eva likes to dress up.

This is what Cora does lately when she sees the camera.

Fun (?) at the Botanical Gardens (or the "Matanical Gardens" as Eva says).

Eva at naptime today. I love how her face looks when she's sleeping.