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).