On Being Almost Two and a Half

At almost two and a half you take interest in what dad does at work.

You are potty trained- with boots on.

You dance to anything that has a beat- including clapping hoofs.

You want to help out when ever given the opportunity.

Things get fun and challenging at this age. There is an awareness of things, how they work, how to make things work. There is a need to keep up with big brother and sister- happily. Most of the time they invite him willingly. There are hugs and loving and cuddling. There are requests over and over again. There can be whining and the occasional fit. But mostly there is a bubbly little guy who loves his family...and Blues Clues!

What You Say?

There is so much, so much going on around us. Life can get very busy with a family of five. This past month mother nature has kept us horribly busy, especially Chris. All I can say is snow, trees, and outages. Repeat several times over. I have to remember things will pass and we move on. But I must remember that I have growing kids and our little 2 year old is getting so big. I have to write down some of the things he says because for 2- he's a great talker and he's got his favorite sayings.

- What you doing?

-What the heck sound?

-Chicken pot pie!

-Don' worry mommy.

-Shake a booty!

-How are you?

-shutupbehavesorry! (big brother influence)

-You hear me. (mom influence)

-He hurt me (for any owe)

He also sings and says nursery rhymes, counts to 20 now, and abc's.

I love the little rollie polly.

That pile of wood in the background used to be 3 very tall oak trees, one of which held a very fun tire swing. That post is for another day.

Third Baby's Second Birthday

Did you follow? My last little guy has hit his first even number- 2! We had a great little get together Saturday night with cake and ice cream, candy, and lots of play time. It was especially fun because he shared his birthday with my dad and brother whose birthdays are around the same time. I made my grandma's green pozole and the kids played out side in the very cold evening. The picture below is of my dad and brother. The next one is of E coloring his Blues Clues paper. He loves Blues Clues. Chris also bought E wrestling head gear. I think he likes it. Today is E's real birthday and he brought cookies to day care and went to story time. We also got 4 gold fish- 3 of which are still alive- Goldie, Spotty, and Carlson. We'll see how it goes... Happy Birthday love bug!

Unconditional Love

Today I want to remember:

-How E held my face in his little hands and said, "aright mom" (I love You) and gave me a kiss on the lips. They he asked for more coffee!

-How I love to breath in his soft hair.

-How he asks everyone in the house, "how are you?" first thing in the morning.

- How the older kids come to my bed in the morning and give my arm a rub before going off to wake the house and let the dog out.

-How Chiquita told us that she had the best birthday ever and can't believe that she got everything she asked for in complete gratitude.

-How C shows great affection for every one in the house and is not afraid to tell us how much he loves us. Kindness from a 5 year old boy is wonderful.

- How Chris treks to work each week to give us a good life.

This is something I hope to keep up. It helps me find some balance when I'm feeling overwhelmed by being mom.

18 Months

Dear E,

Today you are 18 months old. A whole year and a half into our lives. There's a lot to say about you. You are bubbling with personality, although you mostly reserve it for us folks at home. Lately, you've been kind enough to share your self with others. Like the the day when at your well check you decided to take off your diaper, grab your pee pee and run out of the doctors office to the reception desk to get a sticker with your big sister and brother. Dr. Barboza and I thought you were too cute- so we let you be. Your stats are: 31 inches long, 25.3 pounds, and a whopping 19 inch head. You have 16 pearly white teeth. Your light brown hair curls on the ends when it gets long enough.

You love, love, love your older siblings. Always have. Big brother especially can do no wrong in your eyes. He wrestles with you, chases you, shares everything with you, and dotes on and you. Big sister reads and sings to you. She can get you off your booster seat and brushes your hair before we leave the house.

Corn is your weakness. So are pretzels, strawberries, pizza, cream of wheat, waffles, tangerines, chicken, and milk. Yes, milk! You weaned on July 3rd and boy you did well. You were ready to be on your own and strictly a whole milk dude!

You LOVE water. The bath, the lake, the lagoon, the pool, & the water hose. Happy places. You jump in the pool, go under the water, and come up with a smile.

As far as speaking goes. You've always been good at saying your words. You've got all the basic ones down, mama, dada, Gus, dog, zebra, brah (brother), hot, agua, juice, bye- bye, and many more. You say thank you when needed and are starting to say your welcome. You have a little raspy voice with a sweet tone. You say, " all the time." The ending in, Moon Bear Loves the Moon. Books are your passion at nap and bed time. You crawl up into your big boy bed and wait for your bedtime stories. At each nap and bedtime I read you from 5-8 books. Your current favorites are, The Hungry Caterpillar, Happy Birthday Moon, Animals Shouldn't Wear Clothing, and The Red Book. I'm amazed you can sit and concentrate on the words and pictures.

You sing. When you putter around the house playing, I can hear you humming or singing a song that sometimes sounds like Twinkle, Twinkle. It makes my heart melt! Twinkle, Twinkle, The itsy bitsy spider, and This Old Man have been your favorites for a while. But, so has Boom Boom Pow by the BEP's- not a very kid friendly song. Never the less, you've loved it. It's a sure fire way to cheer you up on a long car drive. Your a pretty amazing dancer. The whole bounce, squat, and hands go vertically up an down. It's your signature move. You are practicing somersaults too!

You are a sweet boy. You are sure to give love to all of us. You give sweet besos and rub our heads at bed time. Rarely, do I see you hit your big siblings. But, for that matter I rarely see them frustrated with you. They do give up their toys to you if you want them though, because you have a pretty loud cry. You don't scream when you want things, but rather, whimper, "eh, eh, eh, eh, eh..." Until I can't take it anymore! And give in. Sometimes. You can be rather restless in bed. rolling over and over until content. Pushing me out of the way- if we are in the same bed. Like you are doing. Right. Now.

Your no teeth sweet grin is usually saved for when you do something you are content with or for strangers. Your screeched up face grin ins given to those you are comfortable with. Overall, you are a happy baby- except for when you are not. Then it's watch out world! some days you want me to hold you all day and other days you play with big brother and sister until you are needing your nap or food. You like to go to the fridge and say " num num' when you are ready to eat.

You give us lots of joy. You're teaching us patience, and tenderness. I love you E and happy half birthday!

Crib Rail Protector

It appears my little guy is really coming into his own. He' s a little ball of personality, at least at home. Like most babies he quiets when others are around. I've noticed lately when his feelings get hurt he goes and lays face down on the floor and then belts out this real sad cry. Loudly. He then will flop around like a fish on the floor. Like having a little fit! At almost 13 months! This is too soon, no? What could possibly make him so mad? Well, things like dad taking back his blackberry, only having one toothbrush in hand- not 2. You know stuff that really ticks babies off. And the little "fit" is very short lived. After I have a laugh (to myself) at watching his display I go and comfort him and he's then distracted by something else.

The other day he would not-go-down for a nap. period. Part of the weaning process I guess. But I did EVERYTHING in my power to claim just a wee few minutes to myself. Finally, I let him cry. In the crib. I just need 2 hands to do certain chores around the house, like get firewood from outside. Generally, I can do most things while holding him if I absolutely have to. So, I let him cry in his safe crib for, oh- 5-7 minutes. Not very long at all. (but also something I rarely do)

When I came back. Boy, was he gonna give me a guilt trip! Imagine a 1 year old clutching his blankie, white knuckles on the railing with big tears, pants and socks off! Somehow.

And, these lovely teeth marks on the rail. Oh, and slivers of wood on his cheeks. Gosh. Talk about never doing that again! And, of course he was totally fine after a hug and kiss. But, I started thinking about the slivers of wood and possibility of chipped teeth. Because he's chewed on the railing before. Never this bad though.

I almost went to amazon or etsy and was pretty darn close to shelling out $75 for some cloth crib rail protectors. *this close* when I realized I could sew some up. I mean it's a rectangle with ribbons attached. Granted, theirs is much nicer.

That's pretty gnarly.

So, late that night I measured the railings and cut a piece of cotton outer fabric and a flannel inner fabric.

Attached some ribbon. And sewed away. It wasn't that hard. But, then again it wasn't that easy if you know my cutting abilities and my machine- let's call her butt head Bertha- likes to give me grief.



But, now there is no worry about him hurting himself when he wants to go to town on the railings. Please don't enlarge this photo. Yes, I know that I measured too much. Yes, I know the threads all mangled. Yes, I know the ribbon is all mismatched. People please. Be happy I just saved dinero and did it on my own!

Twelve months

(lemme pinch ya da da)

Oh, and what about the pointing at the wood stove or oven saying, "haaattt." (HOT)

Toddling around the house saying, " Na, Na." (No, No) Starting today we are weaning. It'll be a slow process. But, I was surprised today that he only nursed for 15 minutes in a 12 hour span. Maybe it won't be as tedious as I'm thinking. What about the clapping and dancing to his own tune? That's my lil' guy.

One

Yes my little baby is one. As soon as the kids got home from school we donned the party hats, broke out the balloons and had a yummy yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Simple and fun.

Esai loved his cake and ate it well until he was done and didn't like the frosting all over his hands. He opened his presents with the help of big brother and they enjoyed them until bed time. It was a great time to spend his birthday with very excited and veteran older siblings.

E is a real joy. And the rest of what I write is more for journaling his milestones, so sorry if it's boring...

E has 8 pearly white teeth, is walking like a pro, has the sweatiest muffin head when he wakes up. STILL- does the alligator death roll every time I change his diaper which have no longer been cloth lately due to chunky thighs ( diaper's cutting the sides of his legs) STILL-sleeps in my bed, but I like it. He gives the greatest expressions but usually saves it for us. He's starting to lose his shyness with others by flirting with the girls at the checkout. E says lots of words, but I'm sure the kids and I are the only ones who understands: ba (bath), baa(ball), ba(bye), hi, gu (Gus) and ma. He has this sweet raspy voice that gets horribly loud when unhappy. As most importantly, he is L-O-V-E-D and he adores us, especially his big brother and sister.

Happy birthday my love bug!

My Three

I am just exhausted. But it's good. Life is productive and I'm doing what I wanted to do. Taking care of my children. I may not give it %110 every day, but I do give it at least %90 each day. There are so many changes around here. S is really enjoying kindergarten and hopefully will be learning more and more each day. I think what she is learning in class- she really already knows. So, I hope she gets stimulated in the way she should. Oh, and big news. She has a super loose tooth! I just can't picture my little girl toothless.

C has turned 4 years old. My little buddy is sooo big now. He's a good kid- simple as that. He is generous to his big sister and so loving to his little brother. He never hesitates to show his affection to anyone he feel needs. He's enthusiastic and quite the stinker at times. But a joy. Preschool has finally started which is going well. I hope once October comes the teacher will start some kind of preschool activities. So, far it seems like glorified day care for just turning 3 year olds. I'm trying to stay positive and be patient though. Can't you tell?

We did a fire station tour and theme for his birthday party. Chris got a Smokey the Bear costume that my dad put on to greet the kids. He also got bags filled with goodies from the fire station. This was the first party we did not make a thing for- not even the cake. It was the very first time I bought a cake for any one of my kids birthday. I did miss that. Let me tell you. If you just buy everything for a party it really does make for an easy party. Next year I'll be more hands on.

Oh, and our little guy E. He's a cuddly oso. Seven months was a big milestone month. He babbles to his toys. He crawls on a leg and a foot. It's pretty silly. He climbs up what ever he can to stand. He wobbles a lot but I bet will be standing next to the furniture soon enough. He claps and gives wet besos. Two teeth have come up on the bottom, and looks like one on the top soon. E has really taken to solid food. He like Cheerios, watermelon, avocado, sweet peas, avena, carrots, and whatever goes into my mouth. He's so much fun to play with. But, now I have to keep a real eye on him since he's mobile. Gone are the days of sitting him in the front room to make dinner. Today I found him inspecting under his high chair and pushing it around.

I'm amazed at these guys that keep me on my toes daily. I hope they know how much I love them, fight for them, adore them, and cook for them. Now to teach them how to do dishes....

6 Months

What can I say? I really am amazed and shocked that little E is a half a year old. I'm having a really good time with this little dude. He has a perfectly round head. He smells good- mostly. Until one of the older siblings gives him a wet kiss! He still has perfect rolls and is squishy and yummy and I find my self clenching my teeth when I talk or look at him because I love him so much!

We're hitting some milestones here like sitting up, which is so nice to see him at a different angle. Teething pretty badly here also. This just literally started 2 nights ago when he was crying so hard at bedtime trying to wind down. I also thought he was ready for food because he keeps acting like he's starving when he sees me eat. But, I think he likes the idea of food best. So, a slow process. But, don't take the sippy cup away, lest you be yelled at by the mighty E!
Just recently his legs have figured out how to roll back on to his back from tummy- but the arms haven't. So, it's a little amusing to see him contorted into a figure 8 working it out. He's loving the jumperoo, especially when one of the kids is jumping next to him. Get's him all jazzed.

His smile really does melt my heart- and Chris feels the same. He also growls. Yes, growls. S and C did as well as babies. I guess it has to do with figuring out new sounds. And, if you growl back he gets even louder. It's hilarious. People will often stop and say hi to him because he makes a sweet "hi" sound. The next months ahead posts will be longer because he's going to be hitting so many more milestones. It's fantastic to see, but eekkk, my littlest baby's growing like crazy.
Happy 6 months my little big guy!

5 Months

He's at the cuddly, yummy baby stage where I can't help but to kiss all his rolls and soft cheeks. If his legs weren't so chunky those adorable toes would be in his mouth. We just started rice cereal because, frankly, he kept grabbing food out of my hands. He likes it more and more each day. He LOVES his older sibling. They are very entertaining and soothing to him. We discovered that when he wants something he holds out his right hand palm out toward who or what he wants. He's a genius, I know!


We've eliminated almost all newborn gear and are moving on to the infant toys. I've just retired the Baby Bjorn for good. That thing has held through 6 kids and still looks great. We are using pretty much strictly cloth still. We have the Bum Genius that are still holding up well and Pro Wraps with prefolds which are great at home. E seems comfortable in them.

E loves us. You can tell when he beams when we talk to him. He loves to be outside watching all the trees sway in the breeze. When excited he pounds his little fists into his tummy. He has this sweet coo he does in the morning when he wakes up that will go on for quite some time with his raspy little voice. But watch out when he's upset. His cry will send you running for ear plugs. He's got a good set of pipes! Oh! And those beautiful eyes. Blue? Brown? Depends on the angle, but they are unique and striking. I could go on and on...

Happy 5 months little "Lug Nut"!

19

Yes. The number 19. What could it possibly symbolize?
The fact that I'm going to need a new back by the time E turns one. He's nineteen pounds at four months. I'm not concerned because a baby should double it's birth weight by 4 months. I just should start wearing a back brace now.

4 Months

It's here already. The four month mark. I see such personality now. E is an observant baby, always searching the room for big brother and big sister. He at first looks serious, but I think he's just taking it all in. Because right afterward is a big grin. He's become obsessed with rolling onto his tummy and back. It angers him when he can't get it and lets out a few yelps. Hands in the mouth are a constant and so is grabbing toys and banging them on his thighs. He hangs out with big brother and sister and babbles away like he's in on the conversation. It's almost time to pull out the high chair so he can hang out while we eat. He bangs his hands on the table and drools like crazy when we are eating. I think I'll hold solid off for a couple more month, if I can.

You're a joy little E. We are enjoying you so much and love you like crazy.

Happy four months my little sweet pea!

3 months

What did you get for your quarterly anniversary? 1. A little cold...please don't let it go on forever.
2. A stay in your crib, you like it, so much so that I sold the co sleeper.
3. A stack of cloth diapers. Because we are going to save some money, won't over fill the garbage can, and because they are pretty darn cute.

Yeah, I've been convinced and had a talking to with myself. Remember this post. Sleepless nights cloth vs. disposable. So, it's going to be mostly cloth and disposable at night. It's all good.

Happy 3 months my little lovie!

15.11 Pounds

You smile and coo. You gaze at me. You are loving the sound of S and C's voice. You smell baby- licous.
Happy 2 months my little chunky monkey.

It's not alway easy...

There are many days where I wondered if I'll get around to this post. Putting it into words seems too scary to me, but here I go... I don't think I can describe it all. I'm already getting choked up thinking about his face that day, the sound of the sirens coming to the house, the look on my kids face when the shit hit the fan and mom went in panic mode, and the sheer gratitude I had that Chris was home that day. My little guy at 2 weeks old breathless and needing hospitalization. The 8 day hospital stay was grueling and horrible. He suffered- but also got well. I missed S and C sooo bad it hurt and watching E go through what he went through hurt even more.

What got us through this? Prayer, doctors, time, great family and friends, and lots of love. Chris and I came together like never before. We fought for our little guy so hard. We always said we're a good team. I am also so thankful that our kids were taken care of at home and that we have such good ones. They still talk about the whole ordeal and I imagine they will for a while, but they are so understanding.

All I can say for the care we received in our county- don't get sick here. Don't need an ambulance here. But for the care we received on transfer outta here- thank you Lord. They were awesome. Awesome.

And now. He's better. I say healthy, but he's still clogged. He still gags here and there. Every once and a while my heart stops and I watch the rise and fall of his chest. Like tonight- I'm up watching and hovering. But I know he'll be better and I can breath easier. The stress will lessen with time and normal life will begin again. I'm just so thankful for him, for my family of 5 now!

For more information on RSV go to the CDC.

It's A Boy!

E.A.V

1-26-09

4:21 am

9.11 lbs, 21 inches long

Adorable, delicious, handsome, cuddlie, and perfect.

Stats

Back this afternoon from my weekly trips to the valley for doctors appointments. I am now at 35 weeks, with a baby measuring a couple of weeks larger. Uh, oh. So, apparently I only have until the end of the first week of February, because they want to induce me. No bigger babies here. And I am 1 cm dilated. Which, apparently, in the OB field means diddly squat. I could walk around dilated for weeks. Or not. So reassuring, huh? None the less we are hanging in there and are down to the final weeks. Yippee!

Hello January

These days have been filled with playing outside, some skiing for the kids and Chris, a ridiculous amount of visits to the doctor, and baby prepping. It's been busy. But, finally the busy that is rewarding; watching the kids go down the slopes by themselves, making new recipes, sitting out in the sun. You know. The fun stuff.Fun stuff like washing and sorting gender neutral clothing, because for all we know a puppy could be in there. Only 4-5 more weeks depending on what the doctor thinks about the baby's size. We really don't want another 9.5 pounder. I really don't.

Note to self: no more late night snacking on homemade muffins full of butter and sugar.

Wacky Week

Just last week I posted a picture in the cold and snow. But what happened? We are back to sunny days, which isn't so bad because at least it's not 80 degrees. It's just enough to warm the house and get the grass good and green. A lot has happened in a week. Life got even busier. I get scared to look at the calendar because it's jam packed. I'm not even sure why or how, but all the things to do are necessary. I can't wait for winter break. Also, I should be happy that my doctors (yes plural) are taking such good care of me, but the phone calls need to stop dudes. There's only so much, "did you do this? Are you doing ok?" that I can take. I looked at my caller id at the end of yesterday, between nurses, doctors, work and others, Chris and I received 18 phone calls. That's just not right! Right?

But, not to worry you all. I am fine. I just have this lovely pre term labor precaution that is my M.O.- was the same with the other two. Also, new this week. No room to breath, bend, or function like a normal human. My abdominal organs have pushed so far to my sides, I think they are reaching back to my kidneys. For those of you who kept saying how small I am. Wait'll you see me now. I told you I would burst like a pinata by 27 weeks. The kids are really digging the big buddha belly now. They think since I'm so big the baby can hear them extra well.

That Buddha belly shot is in the reflection of the helicopter. The kids and I went to visit Chris at helitack one last time before the season ends.

On a lighter note. Here are the beginnings of the party hats for S's birthday. I used the poster board that we've had at home. I'll spruce them up and post pic's later. I am trying to make as much as I can with what I can recycle and with what we have already. More to come.