Sledding

Kaylee's been having fun this week sledding at daycare. Obviously she has bounced back from her incident on Sunday with the stitches! She loves sledding! What a thrill. Wish we could be there!

Have a safe and happy New years. We have 5 family members coming in to stay with us tonight. Yippee! Loads of fun, esp. for the kids!

Kaylee's first hospital trip

yesterday we took the kids for a fun time at the community center swimming. Unfortunately, Kaylee had an accident slipping on the ledge as she tried to climb out of the kiddie area, she smashed her chin on the hard tile edge. She got 5-6 stitches at the Children's Hospital.

You can see she's still in her swimsuit (which she insisted she keep on and backwards, nonetheless). Her brother was truly her best medicine as she sat on the hospital cot and waiting room waiting for the anesthetic (topical) to work for an hour before they could do the stitches.

Our daycare provider put together a great photo book for us for Christmas. She had funny things Kaylee's said this year:

"I have water in my brain I just need to cry out."

"That's not a green ball, it's yellow" Pointing to a red ball.
"When's my brother going to be my sister?"

"I am a smart chocolate chip cookie."

"This is my new brother not my old brother."

Very cute.

Yesterday, I said to her "Let's be quiet now while Levi's nursing." She said, "Okay, let's look at the wall." And I couldn't help but (loudly) laugh at this, she joined me and then repeated this sentence over and over to see if she could get the same response.

Merry Christmas Eve - Gift of sleeping through the night

Levi just slept through the night for the first time ever! Bless his little heart - it feels good to sleep for the entire night and that's why it's 5:30 and I am up and about. I'm not used to so much sleep all at once. He is still dozing away in his crib as I write this - so far he has slept 10.5 hours in a row! Earlier this week I came to the conclusion that sleeping next to me was keeping him awake, or wakeful. He wasn't sick or the waking was more often than 1.5 hours and so I have been more careful about moving him to his crib, and alas - he sleeps long and hard! He also is wearing a fuzzy cozy wearable blanket (have you seen those? I love those!) and that helps keep baby warm in the winter! We also turned the heat up 1 degree because Kaylee's bed has felt cold since she sleeps by the window - she never did wake up last night either! I am in heaven!

Tonight is Christmas Eve and we will go over to my parents for opening presents and for pizza. Tomorrow my Mom/Dad are hosting the larger family, more formal meal at noon. Can't wait! We just got news too that along with Eric's parents coming next week, so are Eric's sister and our neice & nephew and Eric's cousin, Denise with her son. We are so super super excited. It will be a houseful of family...very very fun for us all. Kaylee is going to have a ball playing with her cousins again! Just can't wait!!!

This is the first Christmas that Kaylee truly seems to understand Christmas. I can't wait to see her reactions to everything - the get-togethers, the presents, the songs, the cousins, and on and on....I'll post again after Christmas and again, after New Years (which is when the Smith even occurs!)

Everyone stay safe and Merry Christmas to all (and to all a good night). :) (I'm a dork for Christmas)

Christmas is almost here!

It’s been a while since I posted…the holiday season has got us pretty busy as I’m sure you all are as well. We’ve been sickness free thank-goodness, except for Eric’s ankle which continues to bother him. This last weekend was pretty fun, we attended a birthday party and a neighborhood holiday party. Both were adventures with the kids. Levi was crying all during one of the parties and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. So that was a challenge, I just cut my losses and left. The other party he was a dream at, letting everyone hold him. The neighbors were all super excited to meet our newest family member. It was fun to see such genuine excitement over our new baby despite the fact we rarely see our neighbors in MN winters. We got good offers for babysitters that we may just put to good use. Kaylee ran around at both parties, glad to be part of the action. She decorated holiday cookies. She was adored by older children, being called “princess Kaylee” at one point and a 5 year old was attempting to haul her about like she was a little baby (which I had to gently put a stop to). She sort of forgot to eat dinner and then woke up ravenous and ate two bowls of cereal.

Kaylee’s been having a fun time at daycare. They went to chuck e cheese’s and they made holiday cookies. Levi’s integrated into the group no problem. And seems to have no anxiety yet over leaving us. He is very happy to nurse when he sees me, and has added a nursing in the middle of the night which makes me slightly more sleep-deprived lately.

Kaylee has learned how to put her socks on. She can also zip up her own coat. She can do more but consistently needs help with other dressing.

We put up a big Christmas tree for the first time, and appreciated donated ornaments from both grandparents. The tree looks good, but is decorated for kids with no designer influence from me (who has the time?) Kaylee played with the ornaments but did not help me decorate. Levi loves to look at the lights on the Christmas tree and has had his sister singing/shouting the words to “Frosty the snowman” into his face over and often.

Kaylee’s excited for Christmas but is scared of Santa (and any other mascot dressed person like the infamous “pizza man” whom she rants on about during time-outs and plays that he’s chasing her in the house).

Kaylee loves her ‘winnie-the-pooh’ book and has it memorized. She specifies how it should be read wanting the pages turned a certain way and to skip certain pages. She also loves to watch “cat-in-the-hat” cartoons and “Kermit”. She plays monkey preschool games on the i-pad, and is surprisingly astute at maneuvering through the apps she wants to use.

Levi has been giggling more lately. He has a dimple somewhere under those chubby cheeks. His grasping is getting better. He also can roll over, but doesn’t roll his head over with the rest of him. He adores his sister’s attention, but is sometimes also scared of her when she is more energetic with him. She adores her “Lebi”, he has been a good remedy against terrible two/tantrum behavior.

We hope you are having a great holiday season and that it is relatively stress-free. Be safe and enjoy!

Photos in front of Christmas Tree

Random photos to share from the last 6 weeks

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow

Levi has just been the sweetest little baby ever! He’s smiling so much it fills his whole face (I think he has dimples under that pudge). He chuckles at our attempts to make him laugh. He loves attention and prefers it when we spend time right in front of him, talking and holding him. He likes Itsy Bitsy Spider and Pat-a-cake. His sister fawns all over him all the time. She welcomed him into her bed this morning, saying, “Hi Levi. I love my brother. Come get comfy and cozy under my covers.” She wants to kiss him and gets upset when told it’s not a good time to do so, during feedings or when he’s upset.

The other day we were waving to Levi and he raised his fist up in the air, fingers out and pumped his arm up and down. We figure this was his attempt to imitate and we were very impressed that he can even try to do this at his age. I remember Kaylee doing this more around 6 months (the actual wave, that is.)

Being back at work is going pretty well. I like being back but don’t enjoy my commute very much. Eric has been doing both drop-off and pick-up to help me get back home faster to be with the kids more hours out of the day. I really appreciate that. I love the 30 hours, it feels less crazy than trying to do more. We have tons of laundry and chores, every bit helps me keep my sanity. Things are going well at daycare, he’s taking his bottle well and doesn’t seem to come home too exhausted. He seems like a happy boy and his sister continues to be glad to have him there with her.

Last weekend we took a trip to Madison to see some friends. Both kids did great in the car. Kaylee kept entertained but unfortunately didn’t rest enough. Levi slept the entire way except for a brief stop at mcdonalds on the way home, where he was happy to wake up and look around for a bit. Kaylee got along well with our friend’s 3 kids. Kaylee followed the 5 year old around laughing hysterically at his attempts to show off for her, which he enjoyed. She also found out that the 2.5 year old was pretty cool too and they played alongside each other very well actually. They did the best together when no adults were in the room, sorting disputes out between each other. She did get sick again with the flu (3rd time in the past month!) on Friday night but then was better again for the rest of the weekend. Levi somehow has gotten out of having 3 versions of the flu, and I’m not sure how. I’ve been careful to wash my hands, but I am sure his sister has sneezed on him or whatever. My immunities are protecting him through my breastmilk I assume. Yay for breastfeeding!

We got our Christmas tree and will put lights on it tonight. Kaylee’s excited for the “sparklies.” She can’t wait to put the ornaments on, thankfully my parents are going to share some of their ornaments with us since we haven’t ever done a big Christmas tree yet (after 9 years of marriage!). She likes the tree that’s lit up outside her front window (that her Daddy did) very much. She still goes next door to visit the blowup snoman regularly. It’s very sweet how much she enjoys Christmas lights. I am reminded of the song lyrics “tiny tots with their eyes all aglow” when she’s looking at the lights.

Interactions between brother and sister

I get such a kick out of the way Kaylee interacts with Levi and how she perceives his likes/dislikes/abilities:

When Kaylee first wakes up a lot of times she's in a real bad mood. Yesterday she woke up crying and screaming for me (almost like a tantrum upon waking) and then I put Levi down on her pillow and she immediately was a different child. Laughing, happy and in good spirits. She said "Hello Levi! Oh Levi?' She kissed and hugs him and I told her this was very nice and she said, "I love Lebi (sometimes she pronouces his name this way) and he is my best friend."

Kaylee's been helping me cook a bit lately. It's really fun. She helps me make rice and cookies and whatever else involves her dumping dry mixtures into a bowl. She also has been helping me fill the dishwasher. I just have to figure out how to delegate safe and age-appropriate stuff for her to do, and she is the ultimate happy helper. She also wants to change her brother's diaper. I have told her this is mommy's job only and have only allowed her to do the "sticker tabs" at the end. The other day when I was busy, I turned a was surprised to find he is sleeper all the way open and his diaper off and he had peed all over the bed requiring a total change of bedding for the bedroom. I learned my lesson. Just because you can hear them and they sound fine, you always have to have your eyes on them 100% of the time they're together. Also I learned that she can pick him up. This was scary to discover. I can't believe she can do that as he is over half her weight. She's a strong big sister...and determined. Levi, if you can't tell from the above stories, is a very mellow and tolerant baby to his big sister's attempts to "mother" him.

Many of you know that we had a couple of boughts of flu in our household which affected everyone in the family. It was a very bad case of the flu. Kaylee was sick the night before Thanksgiving so we stayed home from the family get-together, which was very sad for us but necessary. We didn't want to get everybody else sick. I think for the most part everyone is better, I have a big of a sour stomach today but feel otherwise ok.

Levi starts daycare tomorrow. I am very nervous for this and called our daycare provider to tell her I would stop by early and tell her all about him. I hope it goes okay. I want her eyes on him 100% of the time. If she needs to leave the room, she needs to take him with her. That is what I'm going to tell her, as if she doesn't already know...I am just feeling protective. It wouldn't be until like month 8 or so when they are much more strong and mobile that I would ideally feel like he's ready for daycare. But alas this is how things work for me to maintain my position at the firm. I went back to work last week. Things were good. It was a quiet week to be back and only 3 five-hour days to work. I surprised myself by being excited to be back. Also Levi was sick with his first cold and slept most of the time I was away, so I felt like he didn't even really notice my departure. Eric, my mom and my sister took turns taking him and they enjoyed that.

Kaylee is very excited for him to go to daycare with her and has been asking when this is going to happen. She will be delighted to help keep an eye on him.

Levi's starting to drool all the time from teething and if he's like Kaylee, he will get his first tooth next month. Lately Kaylee's been thinking that he shouldn't be sucking on his hands and pulling them out of his mouth. I keep telling her that he needs to be able to suck on his hands and that it helps with the pain he feels as his teeth are about to pop out. She's very entertained that his teeth are going to pop out and thinks it's about to happen any moment. She tried to feed him some string cheese yesterday and we have to keep reminding her that he only drinks mommy's milk and that's it. She thought that since his teeth are about to pop out that it was time for him to eat.

Eric and I enjoyed a very romantic dinner date together last night. It had been about two years since I saw his face in the candlelight. I am still as much in love with Eric, maybe more, as when I married him. Parenthood has made me realize what a wonderful partner and father he is, and I feel very thankful and lucky.

Happy Belated Halloween!

2 month checkup, family visit and last week of leave

Levi had his 2 month appointment last week. The doctor says he's right on track - she checked him for his eyesight tracking, a symmetrical startle, checked ears, chest, etc. He was 15 lbs 1 oz and 24 3/4 inches long, with a 43 cm head circumference. He's in the 95% for both height and weight. I told her he still nurses like every 2-3 hours and not more spaced out as I'm reading some kids his age do. She said well it's probably nice for me because he sleeps longer at night then. That's true and I do appreciate it - we're getting 6-7 hour stretches typically. As long as Kaylee can stay sleeping, then we can stay asleep and that's so restorative! She also said I'm probably making a lot of breastmilk too to support him. He's so big, everyone's comment on him is about his size. I will be taking him into the office tomorrow and I'm sure I'll hear a lot about how big he is. Our doctor said that he's the size of an average 4 month old. Basically it seems to me he's 2 lbs ahead, which makes sense because he's about 2 lbs ahead of babies his age at birth. Levi also got his first shots and it was very sad the way he cried, but I am very thankful for the vaccinations that we have at easy access to that. We are so fortunate. I had to ask questions about autism, and the doctor pretty much scoffed at those saying the doctor who did that research lied, and had his license taken away and there is no basis for those claims. She said that she can tell that he probably doesn't have it because he's smiling so much, looking at you directly and has lots of facial expressions.

Eric's parents just left. It was fun to have a visit with them for about 4 days. It was a special moment when Eric's mom got Levi to smile for the first time ever! Kaylee and Levi had fun seeing them especially, and Eric and I felt like we were on a mini-vacation because we had to do a lot less for the kids. There was time to sit and have coffee and to talk, and go to bed early. I did less bed-hopping between kids beds. I started to get sick so it was good to have more rest. We took Kaylee and Levi to the library and the kids did really well in the toy rooms they had there (super nice) but Kaylee did have a very embarrassing public tantrum, kicking and screaming through the library lobby. It was really close to her nap and I guess it was just too much for her. I hadn't been through a public tantrum in a while and it wasn't pretty! Oh well! Such is life with a 2 year old. She's normally just a sweetheart. So, his parents did notice that Kaylee is at times competing for attention and sometimes in a negative way. Kicking off when told to leave Levi alone. The first month wasn't too bad with this but the second month has yielded a little bit more of these sorts of conflicts. Kaylee is still really sweet toward her brother though for the most part. She just can't wait to kiss him, hold him and hold his hands.

I asked Kaylee what she thinks about sharing a room with her brother sometime soon. I asked her what it would be like for her to have us move his crib into her room. She said, "Yeah! That sounds fun! He will crawl up and make himself comfortable." It wouldn't be for about 3 months or more until I'm comfortable with moving him in, but I just wanted to test the waters. Her response was sweet.

We've just moved Levi into his crib this weekend. He looks like a tiny little prince sprawling in the huge crib. He's so sweet. He likes his mobile, even though I can't find the part that makes it move and make music. He's been loving his playmat and seems to burn a lot of calories kicking and grooving around. He especially loves his giraffe toy from his Aunt and Uncle.

This is my last week of maternity leave. I am a little conflicted about it, I don't think I'd be a normal Mom if I wasn't. I feel very sad to be going back and to have less time with the kids. I know things will be very crazy time-wise. It will be majorly hard to keep the house clean and to keep up with the cooking. I am really glad to be working with such a great firm that doesn't really require me to travel (at least not yet) and that allows me to work less hours (30) to allow for a little bit more flexibility so that I can have more time for our household upkeep and family. I am nervous about Levi starting daycare. One good thing is I am comfortable with our daycare provider and that he takes a bottle well. I'm mostly worried about the number of other kids around and that they might hurt him, but I know the the daycare provider will be very careful with him. He's just still so little and he doesn't really like his swing too well yet. If he did that would be a nice safe place for him to stay. Something that's so great about me going back next week is that it's Thanksgiving and I get paid for the holiday, and therefore will only need to work 5-6 hours for those 3 days. It will be nice to have just three short days to test out Levi being away from me. And me being away from him... He'll be with family that first week, which is nice because it won't be such a stimulating environment as daycare will be. I know once he starts daycare he will come home absolutely exhausted from all the stimulation! Kaylee is super excited for him to go to daycare with her. While I've been on my leave, she tells me everyday she doesn't want to go to daycare but then once she's there she is fine and has fun. It's hard to hear. Yesterday she also said she wants to stay home with me like the little girl across the street stays home with her Mommy. This definitely pulled on my heartstrings. However, it will be nice to go back and use my skills and intellect, and use all the training I worked so hard to complete. One of my projects is about to go into construction so it will be good to help out with that. I am so glad that I didn't have to do the commute in this snow this morning!

Grasping at toys and Halloween

Levi is 8 weeks old and about to grow too big for his bassinet. I re arranged our bedroom to make room for the crib and all we have to do is set it up. He is changing every day and is showing us more and more his beautiful personality. He's all smiles lately. He will smile over and over, and many times within a play period. It's so much fun and is totally adorable! The other day he seemed totally close to letting out a laugh, I could hear the beginnings of one in his throat. Oh I can't wait to hear that! I remember the unfiltered pure joy that is the sound of a baby giggle...awwww!

Whenever we put him in his carseat he smiles at his monkey mirror as if to say, "hey dude! I haven't seen you in awhile!" He will smile for several minutes at his monkey mirror. He now likes his playmat with the hanging toys. He hits them and tries to grasp for the toys. He also likes his attachment for his bouncy chair now, which has hanging toys to pull on. It is nice for me, because he will be entertained for 15 minutes or so, so I can go get some things done since now at the same time he is sleeping less. Kaylee likes his playmat too and thinks she should change Levi's diaper. I have been telling her this is a job only for me and not allowing it. It's been tough to deter her and I prefer to do the playmat more when she's not around, or is preoccupied since she is so enamored with the idea of 'changing' Levi.

Kaylee has been so funny saying a new thing all the time. At the end of sentences she is saying "or something." Like she will say, "I don't want my dinner, I want a cookie...or something!" She says it all the time and now Eric and I are wondering which one of us is saying this. Also she will add an indignant "What!?" when she doesn't like what she's hearing and mayyyybe doesn't hear what's been said (but that is up for debate.) So if we say like, "You need to eat some of your ravioli before you can have the cookie." She will look at us and say, "What!?" We can't help but giggle a little bit at this, and we are trying not to encourage the response even though it tends to be a little bit funny and is totally a two-year-old behavior.

Some of the parents who read my blog have been asking how we potty-trained Kaylee. Kaylee had been not showing the most consistent show of wanting to go potty at home. We had been telling our daycare provider how nice it would be to have her out of diapers with the new baby. She said she would go ahead and start pushing it at daycare. Then Kaylee used the sesame street lid insert on the big potty to go. Kaylee doesn't seem to have a problem going #2, she seems sort of entertained by it. She tells stories and chats it up the entire time she's "working on it." I think the mistake we were making at home when we started is that Eric and I thought she would respond with a "yes" when asked if she "had to go." She never would say yes. We started just putting her on the potty every so often, every time it had been about 1 1/2 hour since the last time, every time before had to leave to go somewhere, before going to bed and before sitting down on the couch. The way she does it at home is different than at daycare because she's intrigued that we also have a little potty, and enjoys pouring her pee out of the little potty into the big potty (she's actually not messy about it and I honestly don't care as long as she goes.) She wanted to used a lot of toilet paper and wipes, but I insisted that I be the one to wipe her (because she was getting a rash from not doing a good job) and then she gets one tissue to throw into the toilet. She loves, as I'm sure all potty-trainers do, to flush the toilet. She doesn't like to wash her hands, but has to and does eventually do it. A lot of times she wants to take all of her clothes off during going potty and then we have to ge them all back on after (a big pain). In the first couple of weeks of potty-training she wore just underwear or underwear and a shirt only a lot of the time. It's easier for them to feel confident about going if they have easy, quick access to their underwear. Now she is doing a better job with getting re-dressed (probably the cold weather - burr) and telling us that she has to go (though she is still inconsistent and we as parents have to be vigilantly tracking when the last time she went was). She has had an accident on the carpet and one on the couch. Our daycare provider has said that she is the easiest child to potty-train that she's ever had, and that she's easier than her own kids were. We love that she's potty-trained now! She's even woken up a couple of times after sleeping with a dry diaper. Though the last two days at daycare we were told she had accidents and so did her other toddler friend at daycare. So I'm sure the efforts will be continued on for the next few months until she's more reliable...tattoos were our intermittent reinforcement if you're looking for a reward for your child, FYI, in case you haven't read my old posts.

Halloween at our house was really fun. Early on in the day, I took the kids to see my family for breakfast. I dressed the kids up and it's actually the only time Levi wore his costume. They looked adorable. Kaylee practiced trick-or-treating at my parents door and then they gave her some goodies. She had a blast. Then later that night, Levi and I stayed home and passed out candy. He was perturbed to have his nursing/sleeping interrupted over and over again for the trick-or-treaters. He only cried a couple of times, but he wasn't a happy boy. People thought he was pretty cute and complimented him a lot and I received a lot of congratulations on the baby from the neighborhood's adult chaperones. Kaylee and Eric had a great time, at first she was scared and didn't want to go. But once she understood that Eric would be with her the whole time, she went happily. The neighbors across the street have 5 kids, and Kaylee went trick-or-treating with their two youngest. Eric said that Kaylee received tons of compliments on her pumpkin costume and that a few people asked if they could keep her (hell no!) She whispered a very very quiet "trick-or-treat" and wouldn't reach in the bowl. But they came back at about 7:30 after about an hour for hat and gloves, and I thought they were home for the evening. But then they headed out for almost another hour, I started to get worried about 8:15 thinking it was too late for Kaylee. Then Eric and her showed up just at that moment. She had a hard time winding down from all the excitement and didn't sleep too well, that and all that sugar! I will post some photos just as soon as Eric helps me download them.

Last night we took Kaylee to Chuck-E-Cheese's. We wanted to see what it was all about after all the talk after she goes there a lot with daycare. We saw what she calls the 'blue thing' and the 'mouse' she talks about. When I saw the mascot mouse I thought for sure she'd be excited to see him assuming she'd seen him before. She yelped "daddy" and ran the other direction. It turns out the animated anamatronic mouse at the stage is what she likes to watch...So now I know. It was fun to see her run all around and get excited that we were taking her as a family. She just couldn't believe we were all going to go together! It was really sweet. She loved riding on all the cars and animal rides (only one needed to be activated, for the most part she was happy just sitting.) She played a little ski-ball too, my favorite. Levi cried at first from all the noise, and then nodded off unhappily in my baby carrier. She won a bunch of tickets and I was surprised at the end all it got her was a slimy bug toy, but if memory serves I remember taking home my slimy bugs too...I liked the 'kid check' that they have at the door. They scan your hand and your kids hand and then check at the door to see if they match. To make sure that the same person who brought your kid in is you. That is nice since there were kids running all around without their parents being right next to them, and someday that will probably be Kaylee. We will definitely be back, maybe with one parent at home with Levi next time, she had such a good time!

Also, last week I started to keep Kaylee home on Fridays from now on. When I go back to work in about 2 weeks, I will not be working Fridays. I'm happy because I wanted to spend some of my maternity leave time with her too. It has helped though having her at daycare so I can focus on Levi, bond with him and give him the attention that I gave Kaylee during her maternity leave (reading, singing, playing, etc).

7 week update

Levi is now 7 weeks old and around 14 lbs, he's growing up so fast! He's trying now to reach out and touch, he's reached out for both Eric and I. I've also seen him reach or try to reach for a book I was showing him about colors, he reached for multicolored bird. His legs are starting to not be so scrunched up to his body, womb-style but he still does it a little.

We left the kids on Sat night so we could go out to dinner just the two of us. I think Levi was excited about being with the grandparents even though he was tired he'd only catnap so he could be part of the action. It's interesting that with my first leaving the baby was such a big deal I was so nervous about but now I just don't feel that, I was mostly worried Kaylee might hurt him - she can climb atop him trying to hold and hug and needs to be watched carefully and policed away from him. Another thing that helps is that he's been taking a bottle no problem, he's been doing it about 3 weeks when I am not around. This allows me to run an errand, go out with just 1 child or get some shuteye at night. I love it. Of course the main (95%) way of feeding him is still breastfeeding. It's so fulfilling for us both, so convenient but as any mom knows who's tried public breastfeeding is still slightly uncomfortable. I think the main thing to do is to find a private corner if possible. However, I believe public policy on this has helped but could still improve, I think design-wise especially in spaces where kids are welcomed, an environment more friendly to breastfeeding could be better pursued. Also I think it should be required that restaurants and stores have baby changing stations in the bathroom, female and male. I have recently come across so many restrooms without one, and as a parent or caregiver it leaves you in quite the awkward predicament. Eric tells me it's real hit or miss for men, he estimated that only 30% of restrooms for men have them.

I have been starting to feel like I can handle picking kaylee up earlier from daycare. I wanted to spend some of my maternity leave with her too so it feels good to be able to squeeze in a trip to the park with her or set up a play date for her.

Kaylee is now able to draw a couple of shapes and draws lines saying they are people. She also draws horizontal squiggling lines, which my mother in law, whose a teacher, says is pretend writing.

The reverse life and mounting excitement about Halloween

Being on maternity leave with my second baby is like living a reverse life of what I was living before. The easy (it's relative) part of my day is now the opposite of what I considered it before. From 8-4 while Kaylee is at daycare and I am just home with Levi, that's my 'easy' part of my day. In the evenings and on weekends, those are harder. What I mean is, it's so much more work with two. It's enjoyable and I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world, but it is definitely harder than with one and harder than being at work (at least at this stage with Levi being so little and demanding). It's just odd this sensation that my life has reversed itself. I find myself looking forward to Friday night, until I realize the real work is just beginning with two kids all weekend. Again I'll say, I do love it - just another one of the adjustments.

Yesterday Kaylee said something funny while Eric was playing tag with her in the house. She said, "Daddy, you don't chase me. I will chase myself." Then she would run through the house with much hilarity, looking behind her expectantly for her playful Daddy to pursue her. Sure enough he wouldn't let her chase herself for long, and would go off to 'get her' much to her delight.

Levi has had a very sleepy today, I really hope that doesn't mean that he'll have a wakeful night. But it seems if I do something during the day like take him grocery shopping, even if he sleeps it must not be a deep, restful sleep because he seems to need to make up for lost time later on.

Levi is liking his bath time. He even got a huge, open-mouthed grin on his face the other day as I put him in. He barely fusses except for if I have to reposition him. Soon enough, I know he will be kicking his legs and splashing and we will hear his belly laughs. I can't wait!

Kaylee is getting excited about Halloween. Our daycare provider's older daughter likes to play trick-or-treat setting up her own play door and practicing saying "trick-or-treat" for M&Ms after knocking on the door. They dress up to do this sometimes as well. Now she thinks every day is Halloween, she is going to think the month of October is a never-ending good time. I picked out pumpkin costumes for both kids. I opened up a magazine to show Kaylee all sorts of costumes, and she said she wanted to be a pumpkin. How sweet. It won't be long until she insists on being a princess or some girly thing so it's fun to dress her up in something appropriately toddler-ish.

Levi at one month old

Levi and I are getting to know each other better. We are over the hump of the first month. He is now starting to organize himself, understanding the patterns of our day a bit better. Although I regulary stay up with him 2 hours in the middle of the night still, making attempts to keep him from waking Kaylee (and Eric if he's not already engaged in helping with Levi). Eric is very helpful with the kids and very good at calming them both and keeping Kaylee disciplined as necessary. Levi's also understanding more the attempts we make at comforting him, and being more receptive to us as we are making our way towards satisfying his needs, i.e. there's less crying and more of little protesting squeaks instead. Levi has started to coo a little bit. He's made a couple of sounds that are not cries or squeaks but are the use of his voice. I get so excited every time he does it. Also, he smiles at my efforts to play with him at least a couple times a day now. Some of the smiles are large, open mouthed excited-looking smiles. So cute! I weighed Levi at Oct. 5 - one month old - and he was 12 lb 2 oz. He's a big boy but very proportionate in his size. Eric and I are both having our aches and pains related to carrying, holding, sitting and rocking as needed to care for him.

I am feeling better each day and have been having more days when I don't take a nap with Levi. I have found that it's just easier to go to bed at 8:30 or so with the kids and get all the sleep during the night. I now have only 10 lbs to lose and I know those are going to probably be the hardest from my experience with Kaylee. But it's only 5 weeks postpartum so that's pretty good, there's a lot of time left - as my doctor puts it "It takes you 9 months to get this way, why would you not allow at least 9 months for yourself to get back to the way you were before pregnancy?" Makes sense but I'm impatient.

Sunday we went to the apple orchard with the family. It was fun to see how Kaylee reacted to the apple orchard this year. She loved picking up the apples from the ground, even though we weren't supposed to take those we did let her have one. She was disinterested in the pumpkin patch but liked the hike up to the patch anyways. She loved seeing the little play house for the kids, watching the tractor rides (the line was way too long for us to go!) and she enjoyed her apple doughnut snack very much. We opted out of the shopping side of the trip thinking the day had gone well so far without deviating too much from her nap time. It was good to see everyone in the family, but the trip is getting more challenging with the family growing more. Each family has its own thing it wants to do. But the trip was still very fun and hopefully I will have some cute photos to post here soon.

We also went to the zoo. It was fun to see how she reacted since it had been a while since I took her myself. My mom and I took Levi and Kaylee and I can say if I had done it by myself we would've only lasted about 15 minutes - that would not have been good. We saw the new polar bear exhibit, the tiger/lions and the seal/fish building. That was enough and then we called it quits. Of course Kaylee doesn't really want to stay in her stroller so that adds to the challenge of the trip. We decided to stay in the one location and have lunch at their deli, and that worked out really well again allowing us not to deviate too much from nap schedules. at the end of the day she said she had fun and "I like the tigers - rahr!"

If anyone wants to come by and visit - feel free. We are doing well and ready for visitors! Just give a call!

Eric's parents visited weekend before last. We had so much fun with them during their trip. It was really nice to see them again and exciting to introduce the new member of our family, our Levi, to his parents. They had fun holding him, helping out and providing fun distractions for Kaylee. We went out to dinner a couple times and we ordered in a couple of times, also we were able to get together with more family over at the great-grandparents too. It was a fun trip, not too busy though - just right!

This past weekend and still today I have been pretty sick. Eric had this thing last week and looking back I think Kaylee had it too. I seem to have gotten a real bad case. I have hot flashes and chills, sore throat, achey (very achey hips!) On Saturday I was so bad I was crying from being overwhelmed. My parents came over to help when Eric had to do some stuff (Eric's been very helpful). That was nice because that was the one time Kaylee got ouf of the house this weekend to do something fun. I was so glad for that. I felt slightly better yesterday, it'll be a relief to be back to normal. I'm really hoping that Levi doesn't get sick with this thing and I haven't seen any evidence that he has it or is getting it so far. I'm not sure how he wouldn't get it though at this point. Hopefully those antibodies in my breast milk protect him!

Life with Levi & happy 2 1/2 to Kaylee!

Well, Levi's almost a 4 weeks old now and we've gotten much more used to having a baby in the house again. It's odd how having a first child gives you these preconceived notions of what your second will be like. It's helpful, because in some ways things are easier because you don't have to relearn lessons already learned the first time around, but harder because you have to get used to a totally new baby - different personality, behaviors and abilities. Obviously I knew they wouldn't be the same as each other, but ... what can I say - there's an adjustment. Levi's a delight; Both kids are an absolute delight!

Also, I had forgotten how hard it is to take care of a newborn. It has been 30 months after all. (happy 2 1/2 Kaylee sweetie!) Memory fades and time goes quickly, also this stage doesn't last forever. Thank goodness. It's the hardest, messiest (poop, pee, breast milk everywhere!) time there is.

Anyways, what's Levi like? He's so cute! I've already taken to calling him "little guy" even t hough he's a big baby, this is what I call him all the time. My "little guy Levi". Two days ago he smiled back while being played with for the first time. I've seen sleeping smiles and gassy smiles before then. The smile lights up his face. I'm looking forward so much to being able to interact more and more with him and seeing that wonderful personality come through. He's got about 1-2 hours a day where he is in the frame of mind he's able to be "played" with. This would be time we can sing, read or talk with him. Otherwise his general pattern is still eat, sleep, poop. He does have lots of trouble getting to sleep. There's quite a lot of crying that happens before he will nod off. He will shake himself awake, that is very much like his big sister. He does sleep a lot still - maybe around 16 hours a day. In order to get him to stop crying it feels like a game of hot or cold. Pick up, nurse, CRY. Stand up, walk/bounce - am I getting warmer? CRY. Add a shush - am I hot now? Bingo - soothed! It's a long process with moving target. Eric and I are getting good at the soothing. It becomes much more complicated with screaming baby when a toddler is trying to get involved as well. So we are getting used to dividing our forces - Eric with her, me with him .... and switch... and switch again. Levi is very sensitive - what newborn isn't - he needs a calm environment which our house sometimes is not despite our best efforts. Also I recollect with Kaylee that there's a period of time where there's sort of a "witching hour" with a newborn in the evening where almost nothing will soothe them and you sort of resign yourself to the cry - soothe, cry - soothe pattern. So! Despite the crying jags there's still either sleeping or quiet periods where he's soothed where we manage to fit in some art, game playing, puzzles or bath for Kaylee. We try to make good use out of the free moments to give her some fun in the evenings as well so that she doesn't turn out to regret the new addition. She still responds very nicely at all times to Levi. She still is mostly interested in how can I hold, touch, kiss and hug my "little brother." She's always asking "Can I see my brother?" At times the answer needs to be no, no she can't touch him while nursing or sleeping.

Anyways, suffice it to say, our house is busy and in the middle of a big change! It's been really nice having Kaylee in daycare during the day so that she can keep her morning routine and I can bond with Levi, give him all my attention and while he's sleeping - get things done around the house. She has lots more she gets to do at daycare like go to the playground, do projects, have a structured day. I do miss her though and honestly wonder if she should be with me. I may keep her home on Fridays soon just so that I can be with her more. Things will need to calm down with Levi a bit more though.

Levi rolled over from back to stomach already! It was on our bed, so it was a soft surface but I can't believe he can already do that! I will need to keep a close eye on him now! Of course he was in search of a feeding so I was right there to witness it. He's so strong. He canalmost lift his head by himself, will crawl up me to get a feeding and now...rolling over! I weighed him today an dit looks like he weighs about 12 pounds now. I am washing all his 3-6 mo clothes. Some of his clotehs are looking too tight already! I can't believe how fast he's growing!

I am doing great. My incision is healing very well. I am regaining some feeling back in my right foot where I had lost sensation. So the nerve damage is slowly repairing itself. Energy levels are as good as can be expected...my fitness level still needs to improve quite a lot after being pregnant. I'm making good headway though - I have only 15 pounds left to lose.

Last night, after lots and lots of fussing, Levi slept 7 hours! At about 5 in he woke up and needed a diaper change, but he looked tired so I just wrapped him back up snug and shut the light off and we got 2 more hours of sleep! There's nothing like uninterrupted sleep to recuperate you. After many months of waking up while pregnant and now with a newborn, it's really easy to get worn down. It's not always easy to remember to "sleep when the baby sleeps" because you're always thinking - oh I can get this or that done around the house. But that's one thing that I think I remember to do more than I did first time around - or the fact that he's sleeping more gives me more opportunity...

Anyways, life with Levi is treating us fairly well. It's work but very rewarding and we're glad to do it.

New things with Kaylee: She's potty training really well! She goes on the potty almost every time including #2. She doesn't usually need a tattoo as a reward but gets one now and then. Like my MIL says, intermittent reinforcement is the best. She sits on the big potty with her sesame street lid. She likes to flush the toilet herself and wants to wipe herself. We let her wipe after we've got her cleaned up. She doesn't like the washing hands afterwards part as much and we usually have to work to get her to do that, but it's not too bad. At daycare, she's been using pull ups and has to be dry for 2 weeks and then she can start to wear underwear. I think she's had some accidents at nap so I'm not sure where that leaves her on the 2 weeks thing but we are very pround of her! It might be slightly harder than having her wear diapers but it is so worthwhile working our way towards being potty-trained!

photos - scroll down to see 2 week a ppt info posted today!

Levi's 2 week appointment

Today Levi had his 2 week appointment. He ended up not needing his 3-5 day after hospital discharge appointment, the pediatrician at the hospital had said that visit would have been to check for jaundice and for weight - both of which appeared to him to be just fine. So I appreciated being able to cut out one doctor's appointment. We saw Kaylee's doctor. It was good to see her again, it's amazing to me that kids see the doctor soooooooo many times their first 2 years then all of the sudden - they don't need to go between ages 2-3 and an entire year passes. It's a relief for parents though I'll tell you.

Anyways, at his appointment he weighed an utterly amazing 11 lb 3 oz. His birth weight was 9 lb 13.5 oz. That means that in 2 weeks he's gained 1 lb 5.5 oz. That is more than an ounce a day! My sister and I had measured Levi's weight about 4 days ago coming up with that amount of weight gain, we were shocked and said "Nah, let's wait and see what it is at the doctor's appointment - that doesn't seem possible!" Suffice it to say, she was happy with his weight and said he was "thriving" and had no concerns about him. On the charts his weight comes in at the 98%. The doctor said there should be no monitoring of too much weight gain at this stage. She examined his eyes, ears, startle symmetry, heartbeat/lungs with stethoscope. Saying all was well. She said he was already starting to try to track with his eyes. She said he is very strong - which we had already noticed with him already trying to lift his head, his ability to sort of crawl on his tummy in forward movement and his very strong sucking/nursing ability. They measured his height at 21.75" (at birth he was 21.25"). Eric says that actually he thought there was a mistake - because on the scale he thought Levi measured 23".

It's kind of strange to hear your newborn's name publicly for the first time. We checked in and they asked for the patient's name, it felt weird to say "Levi." Then to hear them call it out in the waiting room was surreal. It just seems like so little time has gone by since it was just a name in our minds.

I have my 2 week appointment after cesarean today. They'll do an incision check. We'll see how they say I am doing next...much less exciting than the newborn report I'll admit.

Levi's name and Kaylee's adjustment

Our little boy's name is Levi Quentin. The way we chose that name was bouncing ideas off each other for months - each one of us turning down choices left and right. We only found a few that were acceptable to the both of us. They were Jordan, Anthony ("Tony"), and Levi. I found the name Levi in a baby book name search, generic I know - but true, I thought that name would sound really cute with Kaylee, easy to spell and pronounce, and unusual to go with our last name but not too unusual to be out of the ordinary. Eric was lukewarm on the name - but since I loved it so much he said he could get on board. We chose the middle name Quentin since that is what Eric's grandfather's name is, and we've been using family names for middle names. Kaylee's middle name is one of my sister's names. Later on, much later after we'd named him, my grandma let us know that she was so happy with the name. She said that it was her grandfather's name, whom she loved very much. That made the name so much more special. She sent us a photo and story of her grandfather, which we will treasure very much. Also, we liked the fact that Levi, even though not an everyday name, is a traditional old name and that it is a biblical name.

Kaylee's been having an excellent week with potty training. our daycare provider decided to take the lead on the potty-training efforts. She got Kaylee to go 2 days every time in the potty (for tattoos)! At home we were able to get her to go quite a few times as well. She has had an excellent couple of days - it seems like potty training's just around the corner! That would be so excellent if she would - just one kid in diapers ahhhhh! She loves the tattoos - and will scrub them all off once she has a lot in the bathtub to make room for more.

Kaylee's verbal skills continue to progress at a steady rate. She for the past month has been saying long and correct sentences. Just now to Eric she said, "Thank you for getting me more cereal Daddy." Eric encouraged her to be polite and to try to fill out her sentences. I have to admit I thought he was a bit overdoing it with her, but it's worked out great. Because she's so articulate and easy to tolerate, tantrums and discipline haven't been as (but we still do time-outs now and then) necessary. It's more pleasant to hear no from you toddler with an explanation and even though you might say no back, for her to be able to understand the reason (she may not like it) for the no.

Kaylee has also been just in the last week, experimenting with using the words "yesterday," "today," and "tomorrow" in her sentences. She's also just beginning to understand the concept of weekends (at home with Mom and Dad.)

This week at daycare they went to the Minnesota zoo. She didn't say much about it but it the photos were amazing - looks like a good experience.

Last night my family came over for a visit - Kaylee enjoyed showing off her little brother. She says to us now, "It's OK for Levi to live in my house. "It's OK for Levi to nurse in our house."

" i love you Levi"

Today Levi's umbilical cord stump fell off. I can't believe it happened so fast - Kaylee's took 3 weeks. Levi doesn't really fit too well
already in his newborn clothes -0-3 mo fit much better. I've spent his first week putting all my fav nb clothes on him quick. Also I think in baby caps he'd wear a 3-6 mo size. I can't believe how big my baby is...that's a real question in my mind after this birth. How can I have a 7 lb 9oz baby girl and then 2 1/2 years later have a 9lb13oz baby boy? That's a 2.5 lb difference!

I asked this question to many different drs in the hospital as they made their rounds. One doctor said that it depends on genetics, he asked how tall I am and how tall Eric is -I told him 5'2" and 6'2" respectively. He said simply, "so your daughter got your height genes and your son got his height genes." simple. I aked drs also how come they didn't know how big my baby was going to be so we couldve done something about it without having me go through all the laboring and pushing I ended up doing to no avail. They said the only reason they'd investigate size is a previous history of large babies (which I didn't have, but now I do!), gestational diabetes, an extremely overdue baby, and ultrasound sizing (which disconcertingly can vary 1 lb in either direction!), or a too large physical measurement (which I always measured perfectly). So you can tell from this post that I wish they would have been more on top of that. All I can say is I'm glad I was in a hospital where ob gyns were available for help. I will never try natural labor (2 times w back labor and going all the way to 10 cm this time turned me away from that for next time, which I hope there will be but do not know) again and I will have an obgyn next time too. All's well that ends well -I'm doing great and Levi is thriving.

Levi's eyes have been more open the last couple days. He sometimes cries very hard because he can't go to sleep, nursing while laying down and swaddling have helped. Also walking works a little -nothing mechanical so far like the swing or vibrating bouncer/bassinet - but I can't do that for long wo feeling it in my back. He's a good boy -it's fun to see him awake more. I read books to him each day and sing to him. Eric sings to him too, though I guess he wouldn't admit to that...

When kaylee first gets home from daycare she loves to see Levi. She spends a lot of time looking at him, talking to him and touching him. She says , "I love you Levi." music to my ears !

Home with baby

It was really great to return home after the hospital stay. The hospital stay was nice though, I was so relieved to finally have our baby and to not be pregnant anymore - I was incredibly uncomfortable. Now I can bend over, slide off chairs easily and take a short walk. I still have numbness in my right ball of my foot and toes, they say related to nerve pressure possibly is the cause and if it lasts longer than three weeks they'll look into it more. That makes walking a bit difficult - now I sort of know how Eric feels every day.

Kaylee has responded very well to her brother. She's very excited to ride in the car next to him, exclaiming that she will ride with him and he has his own carseat. She tells us if he's sleeping or awake -we try to give her little jobs like that to keep her involved. I bathed him in his bathtub while she took hers -she barely played she was so interested. She likes to sit right next to him whenever possible. She tells him "it's ok Levi." in a very soothing voice when he cries. She pats his hand and strokes the side of his head gently. She's been a bit frustrated that I haven't been doing bedtime routine with her. I read her a couple stories as I'm able and then Eric finishes putting her to bed. She cries for me for 5-10minutes. We still make time for art each day together, eat dinners all together ( and now I have time to prepare them -yay for maternity leave and a sleepy baby this time around!) and I try to make sure to listen to her and include her. Erics been working on more insistence that she try more food on her plate, he wants us not to have to make special toddler menu items at each meal. We'll see how it goes, he got her to eat 2carrots yesterday before she gets more noodles.

I do wish we had her potty trained. It's been hard changing two kids especially with the volume of diapers levi's been using. But I'm glad he's already fitting into his xs cloth diapers then it's not such a waste and not as expensive.

Levi continues to be a sleepy,easy baby and a very good nurser. He's already lifting his own head a bit and exercises during tummy time. He's very strong and committed while nursing -it's great. Today Levi has some matter in his left eye. I called the nurse line about it and a dr called me back sa yin it's normal and common due to a clogged milk duct. Kaylee had that too but it only led to a watery eye so...we're supposed to watch for redness or swelling.

Eric said to kaylee that almost all babies do is eat, sleep and poop. Kaylee said "that sounds like fun!"

(p.s. We got an iPad which is awesomely easy to use while caring for a baby sleeping in your lap, but it's the reason my typing is not so good hopefully I'll improve soon!) everybody take care it's a beautiful day today!

Baby Levi born!

Well telling levi's birth story could take awhile...on sat night/Sunday am I started real contractions . I had been having what they call false contractions all week. I knew these were real because they continued when I'd stand up. So we took Kaylee to my parents and around midnight they told us we should come in. When we arrived I was checked at 5cm that's halfway and I was really excited. By 5am I was 10cm which is considered complete and ready to push, I had done all that naturally and I was that woman screaming in the next room you wish you could shut up. They had me try to push but we were all troubled that I wasn't having the appropriate urge to push. They examined me for his positioning to try to figure out the problem...he turned out to be face-up and at a slight angle. At the same time my back labor pains intensified and contractions got so close there was almost no rest in between. It hurt so bad I was saying 'somebody help, ,somebody get me out of here, I then said ,somebody get the anesthesiologist in here!' I shockingly even said I either want epidural or a c-section right now!'he's

A whole painful hellish hour passed with my only relief being Eric,s counter pressure on my back. I had been pushing for two hours at 10cm with no results, in all sorts of painful positions to try to turn baby. They also tried rather often to turn him manually. So I finally got the epi and we rested but I was still tense and couldn't sleep. The labor nurse began to try to rotate him again and she believed that she was maki g progress. So she had me start to push again. She said he was at a lower position. Now I did want to push and pushed with all my might for 2hours. They could see his headful of hair. But to me I was getting too exhausted to continue. They had mentioned the head ob on staff had expertise with forceps and I said 'bring her in!' she brought all these students and residents with her. She pulled as I pushed with four tries each time with a little shake 'no' of her head. Meanwhile all the rest of the room was yelling 'go Jenny go you can do it we see him!'

She then reported the bad news that c-section was our next only option. I cried I was so scared. But the surgery turned out to be the easiest thing I'd done that day.when Levi came out someone in the room exclaimed that he was a 10lb baby!I couldn't believe my ears!

Turns out he is 9lb13 oz and 21.25in long. He has dark black hair already smiles and tries to hold his head on his own. He's really cute and already showing us his sweet demeanor -when he does cry which isnt often it doesn't take much work to soothe him. He has taken to nursing like a champ -he's already strong and determined. The pees dr said that usually it takes about 5-6 days for infants after loosing initially after birth, to start to gain again. Today he started to gain again a couple days earlier than most. So he will maintain his heavyweight title for a bit here at least.:) we are already in love with our sweet little boy, kaylee is absolutely taken with him. She loves to wrap and unwrap his blankets. She,s learning to be gentle with his head and my stomach. She looks forward to seeing him but calls him a she fairly often. She likes to offer him his bear and bring him his nukie. She loves to say his name and look at his tiny fingers and toes.

Hey everybody!
It was a nice weekend here. No baby yet - due date was yesterday. I am hoping that maybe he'll come today on Eric's birthday. That would be the best gift to give him...or maybe he'll come in the early morning hours when thunderstorms are expected early tomorrow. Maybe the change in pressure will do it for me!

Swimming felt amazing this weekend. Totally. Just what I needed. We found low energy activities for our family to do so I could rest - we watched 'Annie' and part of 'Up' with Kaylee. We went out and got Kaylee a rainbow of fingernail polish and painted her nails for the first time. She giggles very cute while they're being done out of complete excitement.

Kaylee helped me wash all the baby bottles and nipples. I hand washed them and she rinsed and dried. She would proclaim, "Mommy, I do the dishes!" I never thought she'd want to do them and had her all set up with Playdoh but the sudzy water and the splashing with sponges was too much for her to pass up - she was so engrossed in the activity. We 'did the dishes' but Saturday and Sunday morning. I am starting to get an idea of how Kaylee can help out and be occupied once baby gets here - this is what people mean by try to get the toddler to be a helper I suppose! Very cute!

Suffice it to say, I can't wait until baby boy Smith arrives. We are ready. I finished up with work on Friday and I don't want to be out of work for long before he arrives. It just gets subtracted from my FMLA I believe. Not sure... At my dr appt on Friday, they were concerned about my blood pressure. They took it 5 times! The last one they had me lay down and rest. It lowered the top number but not the bottom one, which is the one they wanted to see go lower I guess. They said it wasn't scary high but just sort of high and my bp's always been great until now. So they did some more blood tests to test for protein in my liver to make sure I don't have any signs up impending preeclampsia. I haven't heard anything so - no news is good news - they're having me go in today to get the bp checked again. They would induce labor if it's too high. Not likely though.

Anyways, everybody do a rain/baby dance for us!

Fantastical stories and Detailed requests

Kaylee has begun telling more dramatic stories, involved and at times, lengthy. It's so fun to get a view into her imaginative little toddler brain. The other day I was driving her to daycare we went over a hill, and she said "A building!" I said to her, "Kaylee when Mommy goes to work I design buildings and then they are built." (oversimplifying but easier to understand). So then she said, "So next time I build a tower, Mommy, I talk to you." Then she paused and launched into one of her stories: "I went to the top of my tower and my hair blew this way and then that way. I saw the tops of the trees. I saw the birds. I got cold. My Daddy climbed the tower with my blanket with the red marker." (It's got a red-marker stain she remembers it by.) Very involved and super cute story. And then when she woke up this morning she seemed to be telling me she had a dream about "playing tennis." She seemed very content with it.

The other day we went to visit a friend with a 10 week old who's super cute! It was fun to see how Kaylee reacted to a very young baby. Kaylee kept going up to the baby and curiously looking at her face and saying, "Hi Baby!" She was then talking about her all weekend. On the way home we got into the hot car, and she said "I need conditiary." I was stumped. "Kaylee what's conditiary?" She said "I'm hot." and then I realized she was saying "I need air-conditioning!" Wow! This morning on the way to daycare she was very distressed because I didn't find or put her sunglasses on her. She said, "Mommy, my eyes they are burning. They hurt so much from the sun." Very descriptive but I still wasn't going to pull over...no matter how much I want to - there's simply not enough time to satisfy her every toddler whim, especially as a full-time worker.

Well, as far as the pregnancy goes. Things are going smoothly. I thought maybe Friday night was the night - had two hours of mild contractions but they never did turn into anything. 6 more days until the due date! Now I'm working hard at trying to get as much "closed out" at work in the next couple of days as possible!

I've continued the nesting. I have never been so on top of the laundry. I actually have searched the house for more laundry ... which normally I have to deal with about 4 loads quick to do on a Sunday night. Every day there's been a load and it's been put away promptly, I didn't know we had such a full linen closet and drawers when all the laundry is in it's place! I think we are ready - I said this to Eric Friday night. It felt like such a feat. I'm ready!

Take care. Hope everyone's summers going great and that you are enjoying it!

Somersaults and Negotiations

Yesterday Kaylee demonstrated that she can do somersaults now! It was so amazing and cute to see her flipping her way across the living room floor - so independent, so flexible, ... such a big girl!

I am doing the opposite of Kaylee, my physical abilities are regressing. I am in the 'beached whale' portion of pregnancy. I feel like I should hibernate and retain as much energy as possible. I feel tired, and hot and crabby. Swimming helps. It is a relief to be weightless and I feel "normal" again. Sometimes I have boughts of energy, those "nesting" urges. Then I feel like I can climb a mountain! I think about doing things I shouldn't do like climbing the counters and cleaning the tops of cabinets, but of course I resist the urge. But I have learned I have to be careful during those boughts of energy to not overdo it and not injure myself. Because afterwards a couple of times, I have paid the price with backaches or just a total and utter loss of all energy (and engagements with the family).

Something I meant to blog about for a while and haven't is Kaylee's way of 'negotiating'. I haven't mentioned that her tantrums have subsided quite a bit from what they were - especially the very embarassing public variety of them. That's not to say that she doesn't still have them from time to time. She does - esp. when tired or frustrated, or right after being told "no" and realizing we really mean it (not all times, but when she really wants something bad). But now a new thing she does is when we say like for example, "No, don't run your fingernails on the couch." She will look at us, gently stroking the couch with her fingertips and smile slyly saying, "Just a little bit???" or "Softly?" or "Gently?"

Quick post - very busy at work -
Yesterday Kaylee showed us that she can climb down ladders now and is praciticing this ability. She also can jump on and off steps now and practiced that with some giggling included for a long time.

She looked like punky Brewster this morning. She wanted to wear this purple and green plaid capris. She couldn't find any shirts to her liking but one with green strips and a pink butterfly. Then she had a treety top (or whatever it's called) on the top of her head. Argilse socks, too big white sneakers and 5 bracelets on one wrist and one on the other finished off her Punky look. Her daycare lady said she was "so cute" at drop off. Quite an eyesight!

Stir-it Up ... little darling

Kaylee has been choosing some favorites for songs lately. In Eric's car, she requests to hear "Stir-it" (stir-it-up by Bob Marley) and "People singing" (No woman no cry by Bob Marley). She's also been requesting that I "sing-along" with songs on the radio. I have to explain that I don't know the words to every song. Sometimes during music I think she's talking to me and turn it down, to realize she is attempting to sing along about 1-2 seconds behind the music repeating the lines of the songs. Then in protest to me turning it down, she says, "Want music. Turn it up!"

Yesterday we had all the neighbor girls over to swim. She is now swimming around independently *always under a watchful eye* with her life jacket on. She pushes away help and says, "I do it myself." She kicks her legs and moves along, but doesn't use her arms yet. She doesn't like to be splashed on purpose or by accident and protests that. She likes to wear goggles too, like her big-girl neighbors. She doesn't like bugs in the pool but has gotten used to them. She loves to migrate over to the ladder and climb in and out. We are always there to supervise this. She climbs up and down the steps in and out the pool by herself. She doesn't "jump-in" to someone without a lot of carrying/assistance going on, which is just fine by me! She continues to be cautious and predictable, both traits I like when dealing with the pool.

I had my 37 week appt last week. I all the sudden had all these question: "If my water broke first with Kaylee, will it do it again." (most likely) "Why did Kaylee get sick after birth?" (too much time between water breaking and delivery, ensuing an infection) "Do you think I'll be better at breastfeeding?" (yes) "Do you think I'll get close to my due date?" (yes) "I forgot how to breathe - what needs to be done?" (she practiced with me) "How long is a typical labor with 2nd child?" (8-9 hours typical.) I was satisfied by the answers but know that there's no guarantee that I can expect similar to what labor was with Kaylee, but she seemed to think it would be somewhat similar. She said I was measuring exactly 37 weeks. We talked about epidurals and pain medications - I said I would try to do natural again (I tried and failed last time) but would be flexible. All I really care about is that I keep my wits about me and that we both come out of it without a lot of side-effects. A common thing I've felt is that flexibility is required in labor, but ultimately I know what I want and I want to be heard. I was so upset last time when I told them to pass the baby to Eric while I was stitched. They wouldn't do it, no matter how hard I implored them to do it! I will be just as insistent and mindful of interventions as I was with Kaylee, but now understand that need to be flexible. Eric is my rock. He was really helpful with Kaylee, my focal point for sure. I take great relief in the fact that he will be there to support us. Just about 2-1/2 weeks to go!

It is hot here and I am so glad to be working in an air-conditioned environment! We have had our AC on the last couple of days and the pool has been really nice to have. I don't "plan" when to be pregnant but if I did, I would NOT plan to be pregnant in the summer. Being 9 months in March was so much better than being 9 months in August!

Someone at work today told me "You must be giving birth to a bungalow. You're as big as a house." One of many such comments from the same individual. Other comments, "You look like a weeble-wobble." "Man, are you pregnant!" "Wow you are going to pop!" I just laugh it off. This guy is known for these comments so I don't take offense. He consistently passes me at work saying "Hi Mama."

To end with, a cute thing Kaylee said: Eric and I were leaving a restuarant we had dinner at. Eric said she had to hold someone's hand in the parking lot since it's not safe. She said, "I hold my own hand Daddy" and then clasped her hands together.

Some photos from vacation

Our vacation

We are back from vacation! It was a fun trip up to Mille Lacs to share a cabin for a few days with Eric’s parents and Kaylee’s two cousins. It was hectic with three kids around – challenging with two two year olds who don’t know how to share yet. But still I have to say my niece and nephew are absolutely a delight! My niece is affectionate/cuddly, full of energy and laughs, generous with her artwork and an absolute beauty inside and out. My nephew always has a smile from ear to ear, is charming, athletic, and also has an endless supply of energy. It was fun to see how Kaylee reacted to the dynamic of two other kids. She was quieter than them during conflicts (i.e. sharing battles) but equally as insistent/feisty. We have a family full of cute, smart, energetic and fun kids! She worked hard at copying everything my nephew was doing. If they were doing chasing games, she would fall down when he would. If he stood up and brushed off his knee she would do the exact same thing. By the way, Kaylee is starting to become a heck of an actress. She can imitate any sound, facial expression and movement (it seems). I watched her fake a fall backward very convincingly. It made me realize how adept and able to do this she is, and to watch out for fake crying vs. real crying. Eric says it’s about tuning your ears to listen for the distinction. All in all, she came away idolizing her little cousins!

I cannot wait to introduce soon the new little guy into the mix! It was fun to observe how the older daughter, younger son (around the age as ours will be) dynamic worked as well. My niece is very protective of my nephew which is so cute. She would at times interpret his behavior for us or relay his message to us. My nephew looks to her for approval and for reassurance. When she disappeared from sight, he’d run around shouting her name. It was really sweet to see how much they love each other. Thank you to their Mom and Dad for letting us spend so much time with their beloved babes! I can’t wait for Kaylee to have a little brother!

The place we stayed was so gorgeous! It has a panoramic view of lake Mille Lacs. You could see the beach out one of fully-glazed walls. There was a balcony overlooking Mille Lacs from upstairs where the kids liked to catch a beach ball thrown from below. There was a pool and volleyball court (i.e. fun sand for pails/shovels when not used by players for the kids) . Everything was close and no one expected much walking from me. Very nice. My mother-in-law was an angel and cooked everything! It felt good to get away for a few days and to see Eric for a longer period of time (without his job requirements or mine in the mix).

Well I’ve got 4 weeks to go. The baby looks like it has dropped already, this does cause more pressure and the heat outside is a factor for sure in my energy level. I am not as flexible or willing to move without good reason. The swimming pool is a welcome amenity this summer. I’ve enjoyed having that during times of overheating. The weightlessness of swimming feels great! I’ve begun working on the details for my maternity leave with work and am thankful to work at such a nice, semi-flexible place! It is hard to arrange part-time work as an architect – there is not a lot of precedent for it. So I am staying “full-time” at 30 hours (my firm’s cut-off), which is 6 less than I am now – so I feel some relief about that!

One of the struggles I am dealing with as a working mother is getting dinners ready. It seems by the time I get home (I have a very long commute on top of my schedule) it’s like 6. Kaylee and Eric are so hungry that I just pop in whatever instant meal I can drum up and of course it’s gotta be toddler friendly – mac and cheese, nuggets, grilled cheese, bertolli pasta dinners and on a good night I might make some waffles from scratch. I feel like a real failure in this department lately. Esp. with being this pregnant /hot I don’t want to turn on the stove either. When I find a moment, I am going to be researching websites that specialize in recipes that can be frozen or cooked in the crock pot. I’ll let you know when I do that and what I find out. Would appreciate insights others have gotten or favorite family-friendly, expeditious recipes you may have under your belt!