Happiness is....

So, I'm stealing the idea from one of the blogs that I LOVE to read, because I definitely need to start focusing more on the positive.

Also, I may be slightly obsessed with Peanuts cartoons and this is a theme that Charles Shultz used often (and maybe I save them every time they come up on my daily calendar at school). I mean, happiness really is a warm puppy!

So for this week for me, happiness is my kindle. And I don't even have a fancy new one.

That may sound a little materialistic, but I don't mean it that way. Being back to work leaves me tired, stressed, and over stimulated. I do enjoy not being homeless and having groceries so it is an unfortunate necessity for our family right now.

A usual day consists of chasing an Eggo-crumb-dropping Ezra in the morning while I try to dry my hair, dealing with boogers and poop usually 22 seconds before I NEED to get out the door, and planning lessons, writing reports, and teaching someone else's children, all while I miss my own children. Then coming home and kind of thinking about dinner and house chores, trying not to strangle the endlessly barking dogs, getting Ezra down for a nap so he doesn't turn into a crazy person, and making sure to get Violet down for tummy time!

I look forward to the half an hour that I can curl up and read a little bit, and I'm loving how many books I can get for free or cheap on my kindle. Either by borrowing them, buying them with amazon credits I earned from a trade or taking a survey, or downloading free ones. It's awesome. Way cheaper and more relaxing than TV.

Some recent favorite reads are the Baxter family series from Karen Kingsbury, Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, and the Hunger Games series. I just downloaded Twilight, because I do love me some teen angst and will have a little more downtime to read next week when school is off.

What are some of your favorite reads?



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Violet: 1 Month

Violet: 1 Month

So this month has completely flown by.  If you told me that I got home from the hospital with her yesterday, I would believe you. And I apologize for the blog break, but life is a little nutty right now...

Weight: 9 lbs 1oz
Height: 19 3/4"

Eats: She's breast feeding right now.  Every three hours.  Pretty consistent.

She is in fact the exact opposite of her brother in terms of eating. She is a "lazy eater" as my mother calls it.  She falls asleep halfway through, she only eats on one side and then can't be bothered to finish (only she's hungry again in an hour and my whole vague time schedule goes down the crapper).  She's also a spitter.  A gooey spitter.  And she gets the hiccups every.single.time. she eats.  I feel bad for her.  I'm hoping she'll grow out of the hiccups and decide that food is more important than sleep so that we can keep things going on a schedule - well somewhat of a schedule.

Sleeps: Sleeping is going very well.  She's a great napper and sleeper.  She is such a good baby.  I'm completely blessed - because if she were a cranky baby I might be institutionalized.  She naps here and there and sleeps, except when eating, at night.  Which is amazing.  A few 2 /12 - 3 hour stretches at night is pretty good!

She is a grunter though.  Super loud grunter.  All the time.  Like she's trying to work something out.  Swaddling has helped and she is also a fan of the vibration setting on the bassinet.  She seems to have taken to the pacifier, too.  I'm hoping she'll be as easy as Ezra and just decide one day she's too cool for it. 

Likes: 
This is hard because she's still not smiling or anything so I'm just going to go with my gut.

She likes to look at black things, like the edge of the couch or the mirror.  And she is starting to follow me around the room and turn towards me when I talk.  It melts my heart!

She also likes her floor mat.  We do need some new hanging toys though because Ezra's are destroyed.  She'll look at herself and hit the toys with her hands (not intentionally of course but she watches them when they move).

She likes her pacifier.  And screams when it falls out.  It's the only time I really hear her cry loudly.  I can't wait for Santa to bring her a Wubbanub!  Hopefully he follows my blog...

Dislikes:
She doesn't like to be poked, grabbed, or sat on by her brother.  We're working on this.  She gets a shocked, wide-eyed face like "Mommy please help me!" anytime he tries to "play" with her.  It is somewhat difficult because he is so interested in what she is doing and seems to want her to do more but doesn't understand the whole eat-sleep-poop thing.

She hates getting her diaper changed.  I think she would be content to just sit in a dirty diaper so that she didn't have to endure the changing process.  She kicks her little feet out in protest every time and cries.  She also pees pretty much every time I change her and tends to poop everytime I wipe her.  I think she works herself up so much she can't help it. 

Milestones: 

She is awake much more now.  Maybe about an hour at a time all throughout the day.  She watches everything that's moving or lit up with her eyes.  It's fun to see her explore her world a little bit.

Things I want to remember about this age:
That arched back, scrunched up legs and arms stretch that you do every time I pick you up.  I love it.

How little you are.  It's amazing.

How good you are.  And really, you're a good baby.  Not fussy at all.  I'm sure I'll remind you (and your brother) of that all throughout your life!

Here are some 1 month photos for your viewing pleasure:

First bath... she does kind of have an outie - I'm hoping this deters belly shirts and teeny bikinis

Ezra showing her how to do tummy time - although she's not looking

At 4 weeks she's already lifting that head quite a bit!

Hanging out with her brother

Isn't she the cutest Christmas Elf ever??

What a year...

It's 9 minutes long, so I'm not offended if you don't want to watch the whole thing...

It makes me cry every time!

We're off to Ezra's First Birthday Celebration.  Can't wait to update you all on how much fun we had :)

Wordless Wednesday: Where is Ezra?

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What does a cow say?

If you asked Ezra he would most definitely say "mooooooooooooo," because he is a genius.

Or it might be because his mother decided that he would make the cutest cow on the planet for Halloween and decided to ask him repeatedly every day until he learned to say "moo" just to shut her up.

But really, either way, it's still the cutest thing ever...

I also had my friends at Happy Hats by the Girls make him the cutest cow hat ever.











How freaking cute is that?

I also got a Carter's cow costume on sale and with a 30% off coupon at kohl's (score!). I refuse to post a picture of him in his full costume until after Halloween, though. You'll have to wait!

In the meantime, if you like Ezra's hat and you also think he is a cute kid go here and vote for him in the Cutest Kid Contest on their page. Or order a hat from them for your own cute kid or just like them because they do awesome stuff! Tell them Ezra sent you. (shameless beg for votes over, sorry about that)

There is nothing cuter than a kid in costume!

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31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks

Weight gain: Somewhere around 15 pounds so far...not bad

Belly measurement: 


Stretch marks? Obviously

Sleep? It depends on how many times my husband has to turn the light on between 4:45 AM and 5:30 AM to get dressed for work.  It's between 5 and 10 on average.  Also, if he falls asleep on the couch I will wake up when he gets into bed around 1:30 AM.  So add all that up and you have a crappy night's sleep... and yes, I will blame Mike.

Also, Violet is a wiggle worm.  She enjoys kickboxing my bladder and taking strolls around my uterus any time I'm sitting or laying down.  I thought Ezra was active, holy moly, are we in for it with this one.  She's going to come out crawling at this rate.  She will actually wake me up from moving around.  See video: (the best clips are around 20 seconds and at the end, and this NOTHING compared to what I've felt.)

Best moment this week? Putting on my bridesmaid dress for a wedding in 3 weeks and being sad that I went up 2 sizes.  I'm going to have to have it taken in about 2 inches.  Makes me feel good.

Also, finally choosing and buying (with a coupon of course) Violet's bedding.  Even though we won't actually be using it until she's at least 3 or 4 months old, I was having some unnecessary anxiety and picked something out.  I know that's totally out of character for me ::insert sarcasm::

I LOVE it though which is surprising since I'm very much anti-butterfly (I mean, they really are just bugs). We had to go with purple with a name like Violet.  Added bonus, it matches the paint in the nursery so we don't have to paint! (by we, clearly I mean Mike).

It's called Beautiful Butterfly by NoJo.  I will need to pick up another valance, a changing pad cover and at least one extra sheet.

Food cravings:  I could probably have a McDonald's vanilla milkshake twice a day right now.  My cravings are mostly for sweet things lately (Halloween candy doesn't help). 

Weirdest symptom: Random bouts of crying.  My trigger is much more easily accessed right now and I find that when I'm in the car by myself mulling over whatever stress I have going on, I cry.  I haven't had too many public bouts of crying, but I just can't seem to keep a lid on the tears lately.  I guess it's all those female hormones I have coursing through my veins.


Funny Pregnancy Moment: I had an increase in ::ahem:: discharge and I was afraid that my water broke or something was seriously wrong with me.  Well apparently something is seriously wrong, I'm peeing a little all day.  Seriously.

How do you not know that? Stick a kickboxing baby in your belly, that's how.

I also had to endure hearing "no, your water definitely didn't break and you're most likely pissing yourself like an elderly woman"  while my legs were still in the stirrups.  (maybe not in quite those words) I'm sure you feel bad for me but please laugh at my expense!!

Labor signs: I've been having some "contractions" which are most likely braxton hicks or fake ones.  My doctor has told me that I'm "doing too much" and that's what is triggering the painful ones.  She told me to sit down.  I asked her to tell my 11 month old son to sit down too and then maybe that would happen.  It hasn't worked yet.

Belly button in or out? In.  I don't think it's going anywhere.  Sometimes when Vi wiggles, it will stick out a little bit on one side.

Movement? Yes.  Constantly.  People have even commented that they could see her move through my clothes.

What I miss? I miss being able to go up the stairs without needing oxygen.  One flight is killer and because I have a combo mommy/pregnancy brain I forget ev.er.y.thing upstairs in the morning and have to make like 12 trips up and down.  I have actually used the elevator at school and the school is only 2 stories high.

What I'm looking forward to: Ezra's birthday! I know that has nothing to do with Violet, but I'm excited to celebrate for him and to see him eat cake!

Weekly wisdom: Doctor's, wait until your patient is out of the stirrups to tell her embarrassing news.
Milestones: 3rd trimester!

Another DIY belly shot:

Maybe I should've put make up on first...

Ezra: 11 Months

Only one more month until his birthday.  I can't say it's felt like time has flown, it's been a crazy year, but I can say it feels like just yesterday I was giving birth!


Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz
Height:
Head Circumference:18"

Eats: We have completely moved away from purees for the most part.  He eats pretty much any finger food and is awesome at chewing and all of that.  He does enjoy to just taste somethings and then spit them back out.  It's cute and gross all at once.

His favorite food by far is french fries (without ketchup at the moment because mommy would probably throw up - I HATE ketchup).  We have to cover the french fries whenever we go out to eat otherwise he won't eat anything else.  He also enjoys strawberries, carrots, mashed potatoes, chicken, eggos, eggs, and cheese.

His other favorite thing to eat is whatever you're eating (so put down your snack).  He's like that annoying family member that always asks "are you done with that" as you're raising the fork to your mouth.  He sticks his little hand out and says "mo" or more.  He'll even flash a smile and a head tilt if he has to flirt it off your plate.

Sleeps: Sleeping is going very well. 

Ferber is my new BFF.  Sleep training went really well.  He goes right down after his bottle and a few minutes of cuddles and rocking.  His eyes are still open and he falls asleep in his crib, by himself, just with his Fisher Price Seahorse (thank you so much Aunt Corey for that shower gift!).

He still takes 2 naps, usually, during the day.  One in the morning and one in the afternoon.  He has been known to skip a nap just for fun, though.  Fun for him, not for those of us trying to maintain our sanity.

Likes: 
Music.  He really has an ear for it.  He loves to bop up and down or side to side to the tune and can keep up with the beat.  He does a very cute "ro ro ro ro ro ro" rendition of row row row your boat.  And loves to clap.  He enjoys banging pots and pans, too.

Bath time.  He actually climbed over the edge of the tub and into the water before I could catch him the other night in all of his clothes and his diaper.  Thankfully he's a good climber and he didn't end up head first under the water (don't panic, I was right there), but he wasn't happy about wet clothes nonetheless.  He loves to run his hands under the running water and try and play with all the knobs and levers in the tub.  He pretty much ignores all of his bath toys to play with shampoo bottles, the bath mat, or his face cloth. 

Micky Mouse Clubhouse and Sesame street.  Yes, I'm a terrible mother and I let my 11 month old watch TV.  He has the attention span of a small ant, so really he's only watching it for about 24 seconds at a time, BUT he loves the songs and periodically points to the TV when something is happening or when he recognizes a character or an animal.  He also loves the Toddler Tunes music channel on cable which just plays music, but he dances and dances and dances.

He also loves his Mickey Mouse clubhouse ride on toy.  It plays music and has spinning lights and some of the characters dance when he hits the keys.  He pushes it all over the house. He even hides things under the seat and gets so excited when he finds them again later.  Definitely the best $30 I've ever spent!

Dislikes:
He does seem to understand and already ignore the word "no."  At times, just saying it will make him scream, cry, and fall to the floor.  Other times he'll try to charm you into letting him do whatever it is he is trying to do (play in the trash can or toilet, eat something inedible, etc).  Or he'll just ignore you.  I feel like it's preparation for when he's a teenager.

Milestones: 
He can stand up straight from the floor and he's taking about 10 steps at a time right now!  Crazy.  He does the funniest drunken walk, though.  He's a pretty good sport about falling down and will usually not cry.  We're definitely getting a little more banged up from all the walking attempts but he's a tough boy. Here's a good video of the drunken walk followed by a smash into the hardwoods:

He says lots of things now including Maybel, dog, truck, mama, dada, his cousin's names, "mo" or more, juice, fish, and lots of animal sounds including cows, dogs, fish, sheep and sometimes horses.

Things I want to remember about this age:
You make the BEST faces.  Pouty faces, smiley faces, goofy faces, annoyed faces.  I could just watch you sometimes while you talk to yourself and play with your toys.  You crack me up by just being you! 

Your new dances.  The side to side, when you clap your hands, or try to bob your head to the tune.  The butt waggle.  You just love to dance to music.

I love how you're turning into a person more and more each day.  You have likes and dislikes, and such a personality.  I get so excited to think of what kind of little kid, big kid, teenager, and grown up you will be.  I do get sad every time you let go of my hand to take a few steps though.  It's that first "you don't need me anymore" moment - but it makes me so happy to see how excited you are getting about your independence.


Here are some 11 month photos for your viewing pleasure:

Sitting backwards in the bumbo, but he can get himself back out every time!

Getting a good view out the window

Playing with the pots and pans, or becoming one with them?

He looks like such a big boy in this picture!

Hiding things for later - and making a funny face!

His best buddy, Penny the Penguin

Family Vacation

So this summer, finances are a little tight, so we decided to take a few small trips instead of a big family trip.  During August we spent a week camping near the beaches in Rhode Island.  Minus the rainy first part of the week, we really had a great time!

When I say camping, I don't mean camping.  Mike and his mother have a pull behind camper with all of the basic amenities, bathroom, beds, stove, fridge, etc.  I don't know that would be brave enough to camp in a tent without a pregnant belly and a 10 month old - nevermind with them.

We got to spend a lot of time at the beach, which is one of my favorite things to do.  Mike and I pretty much got a system down for dragging everything from the car to the sand, setting up, and then taking it all down.

Ezra loves the beach, too.  He might have eaten enough sand to fill a sand box but it was fun to watch him roll around and dig, or chase the seagulls, or watching the boats.  He liked playing in the waves and knocking down sand castles.  He didn't seem to mind wearing his hat, getting sand in his diaper, or being knocked over by a surprise wave.  This kid really is easy going.

As I mentioned in this post  I attempted to take a bike ride.  Mike's dad has a child seat on the back of his bike that we borrowed and Ezra loved it.  Mommy and baby Violet did not enjoy the bike ride quite as much.  We enjoyed reading or relaxing while they went for rides.

Of course we went with the Harley Davidson helmet

Sometimes he even fell asleep!

I really enjoyed sitting by the campfire with Mike after Ezra went to sleep and reading my new Kindle (love my kindle!).  Or going out for ice cream or clam cakes (or both, lets be honest, I am pregnant).  The heat definitely kicked my butt a little bit and caused my nausea to kick in.  It was hard to stay cool when we were spending so much time outside.  Much different from last summer when I was pregnant with Ezra.

Here are some of my favorite beach photos!

Crazy eyes

 

 

Crawling in the water

 

playing in the sand

Covered in sand

Whew, that was a long walk!

Mommy and Ezra

25 weeks

Drumroll please!! The baby in my belly is a....... GIRL! Apparently you readers know what you're talking about. Not sure why I didn't wear a pink shirt for this picture...


How exciting! We are thrilled and can't wait to drown in all the pink. Really, I never thought I would say that but I am somewhat excited about little girl outfits, and pig tails, and all that stuff.

At this moment we are loving the name Violet. I can just picture myself yelling it and telling her to stop bugging Ezra. It just seems to fit.


At the ultrasound the tech had a difficult time getting all the photos she needed because little Violet was such a wiggle worm. Apparently she will share this trait in common with her brother. Everything looked great, she's right on target.


Here's an ultrasound photo for you:

Little Miss Violet @ 20 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight gain: I think right around 10 pounds.

Belly measurement:

Stretch marks? Yup.

Sleep? Not great. I'm soooooooooo tired, and can't really nap (insert photo of energetic 10 month old). Napping also makes me nauseous, but I also can't really sleep at night so I'm just tired.

Best moment this week? Seeing a picture of myself with Ezra in my maternity bathing suit and not throwing up. Seriously. I feel like a whale but I'm happy to see that I don't actually look like a whale, even when I'm on the beach.

Food cravings: Cheesecake. Can someone please get me a delicious piece of cheesecake? or a whole cheesecake? I got a piece at Longhorn the other night and it was not good. Very disappointing when you've been fantasizing about a slice of cheesecake for weeks. If someone walks by me with a slice, I hope someone is there to hold me back...

Weirdest symptom: Shooting pain up my left butt cheek. Seriously. Add in a morning charlie horse and you've got a weird symptom. "I know I'm walking funny but I'm not cripple, just having some sciatic pain and a charlie horse." I almost wish someone could take some video when this happens, would surely win $10,000 on America's Funniest Videos.


Funny Pregnancy Moment: Me on a bicycle. Just picture it, you'll laugh, I promise.

I thought it would be fun to go for a bike ride with Mike and Ezra while on vacation at the beach. Well let's just say it wasn't fun and ended up with me nearly throwing up all over myself. But at least I can laugh at it now. I'm sure all the people in the campsites we walked our bikes by were laughing at me - and with reason.

Labor signs: Just a scheduled c-section date and paperwork to prove it! December 2nd, here we come! And to think, Violet will most likely share a birthday with one other special little lady...

Belly button in or out? totally in, and still pretty cavernous. I could probably hide some things in there if I needed to, like my iPhone or a slice of cheesecake for when I have a craving.

Movement? I'm feeling a lot more movement on the top of my belly which tells me that she is probably head down. She is a mover.

What I miss? Hmmmm, nothing really this week. But next week I will be missing my summer vacation...

What I'm looking forward to: The cooler days of Fall. I'm really excited for cider, and pumpkins, and sweatshirts. I will miss the beach, but I do enjoy Fall so much.

Weekly wisdom: If you see a pregnant woman holding a baby who looks hot and sweaty walking towards a chair at an aquarium, don't take the seat before she gets there. It's just not nice.

Milestones: Made it past the halfway point. One more week until viability...

Ezra: 10 months

I can hardly believe he's 10 months old! Yikes, time does fly :)

From his 9 month appointment:
Weight: 20 lbs. 14 oz
Height: 28 3/4"

Head Circumference:18"

He was in the 60th percentile for all.  Completely proportionate and average.  I like it.


Eats: Eating should go under likes.  He likes to eat.  And he's not to picky.  We've switched to finger foods almost exclusively, however, we still do some purees and cereal when I feel like I need a little more control over his nutrition.

He loves mandarin oranges, apple pieces, strawberries, bananas, peeled grapes, carrots, potatoes (mostly french fried), chicken nuggets (not chicken fingers, something with the batter is not his favorite), pasta, mac and cheese, raviolis, pizza, steak, sausage, bacon, eggs, waffles, and whatever it is that YOU'RE eating.  Because everything is more delicious when it's on someone else's plate.

He will try anything and doesn't often make the "bleck" face.  Although when he does it is priceless.

We're still sticking with 3 6oz bottles a day; morning, afternoon, and before bed.  The dr gave us the go ahead to start introducing milk.  We have two jumbo containers of formula left in the closet from my last shopping binge and I think if those get us through the next month, we'll start the transition then. 

Sleeps: Sleeping is going pretty well.  He will still wake up in the middle of the night on occasion but really it's not that often. 

We've started sleep training and it's going ok.  It's a little heartbreaking to sit at the bottom of the stairs while he screams but he calms right down when I walk in the room.  He's still working out that I'm not going to stay with him the entire time he needs to fall asleep, but we're getting there.  The minute of back rubbing and shooshing really helps every 5 minutes or so.  That Ferber really was a smart guy.

Napping is another story.  He fights naps.  Like, physically fights (punches, kicks, pinches, bites, wiggles) away from naps.  He used to love to rock but I need one of those full body padded suits to rock him now.  He still loves singing and music which seems to be what puts him to sleep every time.  He's getting a bit of a schedule, too, which is nice.  Hopefully work doesn't throw a wrench into it.

Likes: 
He likes to watch people.  We brought him to the aquarium and he was more interested in what the kids around him were doing than the giant jelly fish or glowing eel that was in the case in front of him.  I'm not sure if he's going to turn out to be the nosy gossiper or the quiet guy in the corner or an expert on human behavior.  We'll have to wait and see.

The beach.  This kid loves the sand and the water and the birds and the people.  I'll have another post devoted to our recent week at the beach, but seriously he just loves the beach.  It's great.  I'm sad summer is almost over.

Climbing his is favorite.  He has recently figured out how to climb all the way up the stairs (with supervision), the outside of the stairs where the banisters are, onto the couch, and on top of the baseboards to look out the windows.  We're going to find him on top of the TV one day, I swear.

Stuffed animals.  Right now Penny the Penguin is his favorite at the moment.  Whenever he sees one he squeezes it and hugs it.  It's so cute.  He also likes to point out noses, eyes, and ears on his stuffed animals.  

Dislikes:
Sitting still.  He is the wiggliest kid I've ever met.  Up down hold me don't hold me push the chair sit on the floor crawl take out the pots and pans chase the dog with it's toy climb up the stairs try and eat something inedible.  It's incredible.  He's always in motion.  Try to get him to sit in a bumbo while you eat dinner.  You'll get about 10 minutes before he's doing the back bend and trying to rip the tray off of it.

He has also mastered the wiggle-out-of-mommy's-grip.  He can pretty much figure out a way to make it nearly impossible for me to continue holding him if he wants to get on the floor and crawl.  Even if it's a public bathroom floor or somewhere else equally as disgusting.  My growing belly doesn't help either.

When the dogs bark.  It never used to phase him.  I can remember when he was first born and he would be sleeping in the bassinet in the living room and the dogs would literally jump over the bassinet and start barking and he wouldn't even flinch.  Now he cries and clings to me like I have any control over their barking (bad owner, I know).  And they bark at the dust bunnies that blow around my living room.  It's always an adventure over here.

He still has some separation anxiety when he's away from someone interesting or somewhat familiar. 


Milestones: 
He's pulling up on everything, even walls, and can walk along the couch or walk while pushing something.  He can get standing on his own for about 3 seconds.  I think crawling is still much faster so he prefers to crawl and he has knees of steel.  People always comment on how fast he is.

EIGHT teeth.  Yes eight.  He went from 3 to 8 in 2 months.  Crazy. But he's also a biter so 8 teeth isn't really good news.  We're working on that.

First real words.  Dada, dowdy (doggy), baba (bottle), ayo (hello, with your hand to your ear like you're on the phone), do (nose, when poking mommy in the nose)

Things I want to remember about this age:
Your babbles.  I love all the sounds you make and it really sounds like you're trying to have a conversation.  I wish I knew what you were saying! 

The point.  I love when you point at things.  You want to know what everything is and you notice so many things.  Birds at the beach, kids playing, the lights, whatever.  I love to see that you are such a part of your world and I know it's only a matter of time before you start talking about everything you see.

Your little dance.  Anytime you hear a song you like you bob up and down to the tune (and usually on the beat I might add) and it's one of my favorite things.  You really love music and I love that!

Here are some 9 and 10 month photos for your viewing pleasure:

How stinkin cute is that tush!

First hair cut at 9 months!

Look at all those teeth!

Ezra loves feeding the dogs!

"What are those crazy birds doing?"

Tired after a long day

 

 

10 months old!

Mommy lessons

Now that Ezra is on the move I've learned a few new Mommy Lessons over the last few weeks. I feel like I need to document my stupidity, hence this post.

1. Don't let your 9 month old play with your one and only hair brush while you are getting ready for work. You will be wearing your hair in a pony tail for a week because it will have disappeared to that mysterious place where all missing things go. And you will forget to buy a new brush repeatedly when you go to the store.

Maybe my brush is off canoodling with my missing sunglasses?

Say a prayer for a good hair day for me...

2. Don't feed your baby while you're cooking dinner because by the time you sit down to try and eat a meal the baby will NOT want to sit in their high chair any longer, will promptly need a diaper change (how appetizing), and will most like squish and cut their toe when they pull down the TV speaker onto it.

You might as well cook dinner and put it in the fridge to be reheated when the baby is in bed. At least you wouldn't waste time setting the table.

3. Don't cook the baby chicken nuggets for lunch and then walk away from him to try and be productive. He will quickly learn how to feed the dogs and think it's hilarious.

And you will end up cooking a second lunch for the hungry baby.

4. Teaching the baby to close doors will come in handy when you leave the basement door or a cabinet open. Also, if your hands are full of laundry.

It will not come in handy when you are trying to use the mirror on the back of the closet door to dry your hair. You will be repeatedly hit by the door with increasing force until you or the baby starts crying.

Also, the baby will close doors behind you and then sit in front of the door so that you can't get back into your own bedroom or bathroom until they find something else to be occupied with. If you're lucky the room won't be carpeted and you can slide them with the door praying not to pinch any tiny toes or fingers.

Sometimes I could swear I'm on candid camera. But it is the best job (by far) that I've ever had!


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Round 2 - What do you think? Boy or Girl?

Our "big" ultrasound (aka anatomy scan) is scheduled for July 21st, a mere 10 days away!  I'm excited to get to see the little guy or girl.  S/he's been moving around quite a bit - it feels like more than I remember with Ezra, so hopefully we'll still be able to get some good shots.  

I included the list of old wives tales that indicate boy or girl and colored the ones that show I'm having a boy blue and the ones saying girl pink (innovative, I know).  I tried to locate some more on the internet to add.  

Please take the poll on the right side to tell me what you think! ----------------------------------------->

-Carrying: It seems the same as Ezra, so I'll say I don't know.

-Heart Rate: Has been consistently in the 150's the old wives say girl (BUT, so was Ezra's)
-Cravings: I'm not really having cravings, just aversions.  I used to love steak, but really don't like the thought of eating it.  I have a sweet tooth normally, and it doesn't seem any worse.  I might say that I'm craving more savory things (Mike's carrots, pasta, bagels) so we'll say boy.
-M's weight gain: Definitely not, if M gains weight during my pregnancy they say girl.
-Face shape: I feel like my face has gotten rounder, so the old wives say girl
-Acne: I've had an increase in acne, and just an overall blah feeling, girl
-Age: age at conception 27, year of conception 2011, both odd the Mayans say boy
-Dry Hands: boy, but my hands are always dry...
-Morning Sickness: Worse than with Ezra.  I still get nauseous in the afternoons and if I take a nap, the old wives say bad m/s indicates a girl
-Chinese Gender Predictor: Girl

-Shettles Method: If intercourse is a few days before ovulation, more likely to have a girl, close to ovulation-boy.

-All belly vs. hips and butt: I definitely feel wider, not sure if this is just because my body never bounced back from being pregnant the first time, but the old wives say this indicates a girl 

-Breast size: If left is bigger, girl; if right is bigger, boy - My left is ALWAYS bigger, but we'll still say girl

-Mood: Moodier means girl, well I'm definitely moodier-I'm sure Mike would attest to that

I had to do a do-it-yourself belly shot at 18 weeks 3 days:

8 Month Update

Weight:20 lbs. 8 oz
Height: 
Head Circumference: 


Eats: He's definitely an eater.  We've moved up to finger foods and some purees.  He likes watermelon, oranges, cherios, little pieces of chicken, Mike's cooked carrots, french fries, pieces of bread and he still eats little specks of dust/paper/inedible nonsense from the floor.  I do think he prefers whatever he can scrounge for himself, maybe he'll be a hunter?

Unfortunately Mom doesn't always have the patience for finger food eating and takes the easy way out and feeds him about halfway through.  I'm sure that this is something I can work through ;) His pinchers still aren't quite efficient, but I am brave enough to let him try pretty much whatever we're eating.  He doesn't seem to picky...yet.

He also loves lemonade.  We mix a little with water (like 1 part lemonade to 3 parts water) and it's just about the only thing he'll drink other than formula.  We like Simply Lemonade, it's delicious, and Ezra loves it too.

Sleeps: Sleeping is going a little awry.  Little boy likes to be rocked to sleep, but now it's nearly impossible to put him in the crib, open and close the door, and creep out of the room without making a single solitary sound which means he'll immediately sit up and start crying.  Seriously, this should be part of spy training.  Can you get out of the room without waking the baby??  I can't.

We've resorted to putting him in bed with us a couple times just so that I can retain what small part of my sanity I have left at 2:30 in the morning (I know, bad mommy).  I would like to try sleep training, where you put the baby down and then just come in the room and pat his back for a minute or so every 5 minutes until he figures out how to put himself to sleep.  I just don't have the cajones quite yet.  I've heard amazing things about sleep training, I'm just a big ball of "I give up" around bed time.

Likes: He is still the nosiest person I know. I'm not quite sure where he gets that from...

His ears definitely work and he whips his head around at the slightest interesting sound to see what is going on.  He also must investigate anything out of the ordinary that he may see or hear around - "is that a remote on the floor? I wonder what it tastes like" "Did the mail man just show up? I should try and poke my head over the edge of the couch to look out the window without falling on my head" He is definitely fearless.

Climbing over people and things and up stairs.  I can't keep him away from the stairs (and the dog food, see photos below).  We finally put up a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep him from climbing up them.  He also like to overturn his toy buckets and climb over the toys to get inside, he likes to use Mommy (and his future brother or sister) as a jungle gym.  His elbows, knees, and toes are bruise inflicting.  He is still quite determined to get where he wants to go regardless of what might possibly be in the way.

Dislikes: Being away from Mom, Dad, or some other adult that he recognizes.  He's starting to go through a little bit of separation anxiety, which is giving me anxiety.  I'm most definitely not a clingy person, I love a good cuddle here and there but I definitely need my "personal space."  I like to walk away while he's playing and go get the laundry, or a snack, or pee.  No sooner that I walk away do it hear the little slap, bump, slap, bump of Ezra crawling behind me and the tears when I go out of sight.  I'm hoping it's just a phase, because I don't do well with letting him cry.

Milestones: 
He can crawl - quickly.  He roams around the house and finds all kinds of interesting artifacts that I didn't know existed, which he quickly tries to eat in some way.  We are definitely in need of some more baby proofing...

Beginning stair climbing.  I'm not sure if this is a milestone but it scared the crap out of me.  He figured out how to get up 4 of our stairs the other day - gate is not firmly in place!

Pulling himself up to standing.  He can pull himself up on just about anything that he can reach.  He's still quite wobbly and needs to hang on to stay up.  He also isn't quite aware that moving his feet will also move his body, and will usually fall on the floor and crawl to whatever he's eying. 

Third tooth - on the bottom.  Still no top teeth for this bulldog. 

Things I want to remember about this age:
Your scrunched up smile.  Your little nose gets all scrunched and your eyes squinty and you smile the biggest 3 tooth smile I've ever seen.  It melts my heart.

How funny you think everything is.  Like biting mommy's big toe, or yaking on daddy's bottom lip, or chasing your dogs' tails or spitting carrots all over the kitchen.  It's like everything is so new and exciting.  I hope you cherish that for a long time, too.

How fearless you are.  I mean 4 stairs! That's like twice your height but you weren't one bit scared.  I'm hoping you learn to fear a little bit when you start riding motorized vehicles or deciding to do other daring things, but it amazes me how unafraid you are. 

Here are some 8 month photos for your viewing pleasure:

First family trip to story land! I'm trying to hold on and fly in a wooden shoe... multitasking

And we couldn't stay away from Bike Week in Laconia while in NH

Mowing the lawn with daddy, strapped in of course!

The newest face - now we get a lot of "oooooo" sounds

Look at me!

Floating in the pool

Wild and crazy guy!

First Cheerios!

Banished to Mommy Island

So apparently we were voted off of Fun and Free Island and sent here.  Most days I don't really mind because I'm so busy being a mom and teacher and maid and baby grower - often times I don't really think of anything but what is going on with me and my immediate family right at that moment.

Mike has been working 2 hours away from home every day so he leaves at 5am and doesn't return until 6 or 6:30 pm.  He doesn't have the energy to do much of anything (other than cook me dinner every night because he's the best) when he gets home from work.  Trips by friend's houses and favors for family, have pretty much died down from the constant way it was before Ezra.

Even making time to do things with just us three can be challenging - because sometimes the laundry is more important than the beach.  (I'm still not sure if I buy that but I know that I don't particularly like to wear dirty underwear so I guess I can at least wash those before I go to the beach).

But I think in the craziness of everything, sometimes it feels like we landed on some deserted island where no one without children wants to visit or hang out.  Like we have parenting leprosy.

I know this isn't a new phenomena in the world of parenting, I just didn't expect to be feeling it as deeply as I am.  We were the first in our circle of friends to have a baby - but I guess we never anticipated how that would change our social lives.  We expected everyone to still be the same while we changed.

It really hit me this weekend when my mom offered to babysit on Friday night, somewhat last minute.  I had no doubt in my mind that we could find at least one couple to go out to eat with or someone to hang out with.

No dice.

Dinner with  Mike was lots of fun and I appreciate that the same, it was just strange to keep thinking "well, what's so and so doing?" "Did you call whatshisname?" where usually we could find some poor soul to hang out with, it was impossible.  It's like we were erased from people's heads as a possibility of fun.

Apparently, we are so not cool anymore.

Or maybe it's just because we are off in such a different direction, alone, with only a few friends with children (who are all too busy to make last minute plans, this I understand).  People don't ask us to do things because we always say no unless we have enough time to finagle a babysitter - and then we are usually asleep by 10pm.

We used to have friends over just about every weekend, even just to do nothing.  No one really stops by anymore.  And that dang laundry just keeps getting in the way.

I've come to the conclusion that we need to make new friends, in addition to the oldies, who already hang out on Mommy Island.  Who want to make plans far enough in advance to find a babysitter.  Who don't mind if you have spit up on your shirt at a nice restaurant.  Who understand if you have to cancel last minute.

It just makes me sad and a little anxious (what are you suprised?).  I'm not good at the small talk, get to know you conversations.  I always say awkward things, and interrupt, and I'm just overly self-conscious and end up sounding like a thirteen year old boy trying to ask a girl to the Homecoming Dance.  All stuttering and oversharing and sweating.  It's not cute.


If you actually know me in person, you know that I often duck out of parties and events before this type of situation occurs.  I don't like meeting new people.  I'm sure it makes me look like a total snot bag who thinks she's to good for everyone, but really I'm just so afraid of looking like a moron that I'd rather just say nothing.

So I'm hoping in these summer months to try and get some moms together at the house with kids and see if I can forge some new friendships and figure out how to feel a little more connected to the world outside of my family.  But now I'm totally afraid everyone will think I'm a freak and not want to come...  It's a vicious cycle.

So, I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with this post, other than a total awkward overshare...

Anybody on Mommy Island with Me? Have you escaped? Found a path back to the other side?  Made friends with the natives? 

Giggles and Crawling

So this video is from about 2 months ago, but I love it!  Basically the dogs are "playing" although it sounds like they might be trying to kill each other, and Ezra can't stop laughing.  It's so cute

This video was from a few weeks ago.  Ezra had pretty much just figured out how to crawl without dragging his legs behind him.  He's quite the speed demon!

Deja Vu...

So, if you haven't heard Em & M are expecting baby number 2 this December!! EEEK!  We were a little *ahem* surprised at the quickness of this development, seeing that it took a year and a half for Ezra.

That being said, we are THRILLED to add a new member to our family!  We're also FRIGHTENED at how difficult it may be at first, but we know that others have come before us and survived so we will, too.  Possibly sacrificing some of our sanity in the process, but isn't that what parenting is?

Here's a picture of the newest em&m from my first ultrasound at 10 weeks:

So we'll be back on board with the almost weekly updates (hey, no one's perfect)!


How far along? 15 weeks

Weight gain/loss: At my last appointment I was up 3 pounds... although it feels like 23

Maternity clothes? All the time, there is no doubt that I look pregnant.  Round belly, stickly legs, larger boobs.  I've tried to wear some of my non maternity stuff, but who am I kidding?  I do not need to feel like a sausage all day and I'm sure I look ridiculous when I do it.

Stretch marks? Of course.  Ezra's stretch marks are now turning purple again.  (I'm hoping no one just threw up their lunch with that visual).  All I can say is that I hope they don't get worse...

Sleep? Sleep is good... I am having very vivid anxiety inducing dreams.  For example, last night I was chasing someone and trying to attack them.  I don't remember why, but I woke up feeling a little worried.  I had vivid dreams with Ezra, but not anxious dreams.  So I will say that it doesn't always feel like restful sleep.

To be completely honest though, I do go to bed between 9 and 9:30.  So I'm getting more than enough sleep!

Best moment this week? Probably having to explain to my students why you shouldn't ask any woman, no matter how obviously pregnant she is, if she's having a baby.  They had a difficult time understanding why that was a problem (see photo below) but it was funny to watch their faces drop when I told them that sometimes people can look pregnant and not be, so basically they just told me that I look fat.  I did have a little fun and wait until the end of the conversation to tell them that I was in fact having another baby.  Maybe that was a little mean, but it made me laugh!

Food cravings: Mike makes the most delicious cooked carrots.  I could eat them all day.  Basically they are just steamed with butter but I swear I've never eaten such delicious carrots... I hope I can convince him to make some for dinner...

Gender: Ack, who knows?  I have no real feeling one way or the other.

Belly button in or out? In and cavernous.  Seriously, you could spelunk in there .  I'll get you a head lamp (That's cave exploration in case you were going to google that word).  I think it's just stretched out from Ezra, but I've never seen such a big belly cave.

Movement? If I lay really still and think about it, sometimes.  But what working mother of a 7 month old has time to sit still and think about it? Not I!  I'm either chasing a crawling baby or trying not to fall asleep in my dinner.  So I'll probably notice more once he or she is making direct hits to a major organ.

What I miss? I'm going to be honest, this weekend we went to Storyland in New Hampshire (which is basically a theme park for little kids) and of course Bike Week is this week so we saw lots of bikes.  I'm desperately missing riding my motorcycle... BUT, I would not change anything.

What I'm looking forward to: The end of school - don't tell my principal.  I'm so done with school.  I can't wait for a change of pace.  I will be working half days 3 days a week at summer school, but I shouldn't really have to sacrifice much beach/pool/park/Ezra time so it's ok.  And I can bank some money in savings ;)

Weekly wisdom: Today I am pregnant, and I love my baby.

Milestones: I'm in the second trimester, that's exciting!

Here's a 15 week belly shot:

7 Month Update

Weight: somewhere between 19 and 20 pounds
Height: 26 1/4" (at his last appointment)
Head Circumference: 

Sorry for the Blog hiatus.  My page wouldn't load properly for some reason for over a month so I was unable to update.   ::Frowny face::


Eats: Ezra loves to eat.  He loves all the stage 2 mixes, (except peas, green beans, and peaches) and he even likes them warmed up a little in the microwave.  He eats 2 meals a day which is usually about 2 tablespoons of cereal and 4 oz of a fruit or veggie.  I don't quite have the stomach to try the meats yet.  We've given him little pieces of chicken and he seems to like that.

Also, those Gerber puffs seems to be his new BFF.  It is the cutest thing to watch him try and pick them up and get them to his mouth.  They'll keep him occupied for a good 10 minutes though.   Enough time to do lots of things in mommy world

Sleeps: Amazing.

He usually goes down around 7:30 - 8:30 and sleeps until 6:30.

He is having trouble napping during the day however.  I feel bad for my sister in law who seems to only get a good 10 minutes or so of sleeping from him during the day.  Not sure if there's too much to pay attention to or if it's just because he's not in the comfort of his own home.

Likes: Watching people.  He is the nosiest person I know.  He watches everyone and if he's almost sleeping and someone makes a peep, his head shoots up and he looks around to see where it came from.  This child definitely can hear.

Swimming.  We've started a swim "class" at the Boys and Girls club on Saturday mornings.  I call it a "class" because really what can you teach a 7 month old about swimming?  Instinctually, he kicks and splashes his hands all around the pool.  He LOVES it.  And he loves watching the other little kids and going after all the little floating toys.  We're excited to get him in the pool at home soon!

He also loves to eat watermelon in his mesh feeder.  The mesh feeder is a little bag that you stuff squishy food in so that he can gum it and eat it but not choke.  He goes to town with watermelon.  He is usually quite sticky at the end of it but it's cute to watch.

Dislikes: His car seat is still by far his least favorite place on the planet.  It's a battle ev.er.y.time he has to go in it.  He does this "bridge" thing where he arches his back and uses his feet and his head to stick his belly out.  It's cute (the first 26 times) but he is STRONG.  I often feel bad for poking him in the belly or physically bending him in half to get him in the seat.  You would think he would be used to it by now!

Milestones: He's got the army crawl down pat.  He can get from one side of the room to the other very quickly if there's something that he wants (i.e speck of inedible paper, dust bunny, dog toy, or anything else that should not go in his mouth).  I'm not sure he's every going to crawl with his belly off the floor but he is very quick already.  He also likes to stand his legs up and do the downward facing dog pose like he's just going to stand up and walk one day.  Again, he's so strong.

He gets himself sitting up and back down to the floor all by himself.  He will even catch himself if he's losing his balance.  There are still a few head smashes to the floor but we're getting there.


His pincher grasp is coming along.  Put a speck of something on the carpet and he'll go for it from across the room and use his little fingers to get it to his mouth.  Very quickly. He's also starting some finger foods.

Things I want to remember about this age:
All of your babbles.  You say the cutest things without saying anything at all!

How determined you are.  You will definitely go for whatever you want, I'm hoping this carries through to adulthood.

The way you look at things.  Like everything is new.  Your surprised face is the best.  I've never seen such big blue eyes.

Here are some 7 month photos for your viewing pleasure:

"What do you mean a bunny came in the house and left me this?"

What a handsome boy

A boy's best friends

Mom, put the darn camera away

Did you see that!!

The yoga pose