ThAnKsGiViNg 2009

For Thanksgiving this year, my mom, Nana and Grandpa flew in from Palm Springs and Omaha. I am so happy it worked out because as it stood Ryan and I were going to be spending the holiday with ourselves and the kids. Even though there is nothing wrong with spending the holiday as a family, the more the merrier in my book! We ate lots of wonderful food cooked by mom, Nana and Grandpa (I am sure everyone contributed at some point, but they did the majority of it)! We played cards, stuffed ourselves silly and laughed A LOT.... my idea of a perfect Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I hope your day was full of lots of good food and many reasons to be thankful and that you were surrounded by family and friends!

Update (Cael) - 2 years

Cael had his two year appointment today and I wanted to update everyone on his latest stats and overall progress.

Weight: 32 lbs 7.8 oz (29 lbs 15.8 oz at 18 months)

Height: 36 1/2 inches (34 1/4 inches at 18 months)

Head Circumference: 50 cm (49 cm at 18 months)

He is in the 91st percentile for weight, 95th percentile for height and 75th percentile for head circumference. We can stop giving him whole milk and switch to whatever the rest of the family drinks, she wanted us to make sure he wasn't watching a lot of television (which he isn't at this point) and he is right on track in terms of his development (language, etc.). We noticed he was limping a couple of days ago and x-rays didn't reveal anything so we are watching him closely and giving him ibuprofen in case he is in pain (although he acts like nothing is wrong and is as energetic as ever). If the limp does not disappear in the next week or so we will be taking him to an orthopedic specialist to do further tests. Other than that he is a normal, healthy two year old and we are having so much fun with him!!!

RIP Dodge

Tonight Ryan and I made the heart wrenching decision to say goodbye to a member of our family. At some point, when it doesn't hurt as much, I will do another post and give him the sending off that he deserves. He was the sweetest, most loyal dog and I can't believe he is gone. At times I miss him so much it hurts to breathe. I will miss him for the rest of my life. Rest in Peace sweet puppy. You are loved and will never EVER be forgotten.

Urinary Tract Infection - update

We took Aveyn into the hospital on Monday to have some tests done. She had an ultrasound to make sure all of her organs looked normal and were in the right place and then had a catheter. They injected a dye into her bladder to see if her urine was refluxing into the ureter (causing urinary tract infections and possible kidney damage if left untreated) and it was. On a scale of one to five (five being the worst), she was a two on her left side and a three on her right. Her pediatrician has decided to put her on a low dose antibiotic (to prevent future urinary tract infections) for the next year at which time they will perform the test again to see if she has outgrown the reflux. If she hasn't and it has gotten worse then it is likely that they will do surgery to correct the problem. If the reflux has gotten better then we will discuss our options at that time. I contemplated taking the camera, but to be honest wasn't sure I wanted to capture this memory on film. She was such a good little baby and hardly cried, but was content to grin and coo at her parents throughout the entire ordeal.

As much as I want Aveyn (and Cael) to be 100% healthy all of the time, after seeing some of the other kids at the hospital, I am just grateful that this is all we are dealing with and not something more serious.

Cael's 2nd Birthday

After agonizing about how to celebrate Cael's second birthday we decided it would be best to just spend a quiet day at home as a family. Cael woke up with a slight fever and had been up on and off all night so we knew we were in for a bit of a tough day, but he was a trooper. Swimming was cancelled because of the weather so Ryan and Cael went outside to shovel the driveway and play in the snow. After his nap, Cael got to open all of his presents and he loved it. We bought him a cupcake and once he spotted it on the counter would not open any other presents until he had eaten his treat. He ate all of the icing and then wanted another one!! He has also figured out that the present isn't the wrapping paper, but rather what is inside and is rather meticulous about opening his gifts. He got lots of great toys and had a lot of fun playing with each and every one, however, by the end of the whole process was getting a little tired (as you can see in the pictures). Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful gifts and cards!!! We took a ton of pictures so I apologize that I am not writing more about his big day, but don't they say a picture is worth a thousand words :)

Just for fun I have included some pictures from this time last year. It is amazing how much they change in such a short period of time. He truly went from a baby to a little boy in 12 short months.

Am I crazy yet?

Aveyn is a really good baby so I feel bad even complaining, but lately I have been pulling my hair out trying to understand her. I am feeding her every 2.5 hours so she sleeps better at night, but I still can't read when she is tired or just wants a change of scenery, when she is hungry or just has gas (the routine makes it a little easier, but it is still REALLY hard). Some times she takes the pacifier and other times she wants nothing to do with it and I can't figure out why. I swaddle her and sometimes she seems miserable and other times she seems really content. When I choose not to swaddle her she stops crying, but her flailing arms make it hard for her to fall asleep. I can't tell when to give her the pacifier or if she likes being swaddled or not. Sometimes gently bouncing works and she goes right to sleep and other times she wakes up the minute I lay her down in the crib. I know that this is just a part of being a parent, but I feel like I am going crazy. I think the biggest reason is because I like knowing, I like analyzing and figuring out what works best for her and it is frustrating to me that I haven't been able to. I suppose that part of the issue is that Cael was such an easy baby to read so I feel like a failure in that I can't figure out my daughter. As I type this post she is sleeping peacefully unswaddled WITH the pacifier :)

In an attempt to stop myself from going completely insane and to bridge the gap between no swaddle and swaddle, I have ordered the Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit so hopefully that at least allows me to keep the rest of my hair :) Having vented, I have to say that she is still the sweetest baby and it is more me being obsessive than it is her being difficult!

Boys will be boys

I couldn't decide between calling this post 'Boys will be boys' or 'I smell trouble' as both seem apt. As most of you know, Ryan is a pretty active guy. He plays basketball, golf, softball and just about any sport you can name. He also has a dirt bike and even though he hasn't been on it for a few years, it is something he really enjoys! Ryan tends to remind people of the Energizer Bunny in that he is constantly on the go and has a hard time sitting still for very long. So it should come as no surprise that his son would follow in his footsteps. Ryan and Cael were playing in the playroom when Ryan called me in to witness Cael's latest escapades. I think the video explains it all....

From the minute we found out we were having a boy, I knew four wheelers, sports and dirt bikes were going to be a part of my future as well as Cael's so I was not surprised to see him executing 'stunts' with his mini four wheeler. I guess at this point I should be thankful for carpet (as opposed to cement or asphalt) and a ramp that is not only soft, but relatively close to the ground. I have a feeling this is only the beginning. Oi!

Update (Aveyn) - 2 months

Aveyn had her two month appointment today and I wanted to update everyone on her latest stats and overall progress.

Weight: 10 lbs 9 oz (7 lbs 9 oz at two weeks)

Height: 23 inches (20.5 inches at two weeks)

Head Circumference: 40 cm (37.2 cm at two weeks)

She is in the 75th percentile for height and head circumference and 50th percentile for weight (click here to see Cael's stats at two months for a fun comparison). Her pediatrician said she was the picture of health despite fighting off the bacteria in her blood and urine. She is scheduled to have an ultrasound to look at her kidneys and make sure everything looks normal (again, standard in infants who have had a urinary tract infection) and a VCUG (Voiding Cystourethrogram) to determine if she has something called urinary reflux. If she does have it and depending on the severity, she could be put on suppressive antibiotics until she is old enough to have surgery. It sounds serious, but based on my conversations with the pediatrician it is nothing to be overly concerned about. I liken it to Cael's recurring ear infections; it is just something the body cannot handle on its own and surgery might be necessary. I have had urinary tract infections and they are miserable. As much as I don't want her to have surgery (what parent does), if surgery fixes the problem then I am all for it. She didn't get her 2 month shots because side effects could result in fever and the doctor didn't want to confuse the situation given the presence of bacteria that could also result in fever.

2 months - Aveyn Jo

Today our sweet little girl is 2 months old. Already?? Wow. She is getting so big and is such a little sweetheart. She really only cries when she is hungry, tired or uncomfortable and it is such a faint cry you really don't even know she is upset. She isn't staying up for much longer than an hour these days, but has a great appetite and the cutest smile (when we can get her to smile). We are feeding her every 2.5 hours right now in an effort to get her to sleep through the night. She gets a bottle around 8:00 at night and has gone until 5:00 in the morning before needing another one (but right now that is not typical - hopefully it will be soon!). She likes getting baths and generally has one every other day (otherwise her hair gets really greasy). Speaking of hair, I have nicknamed her 'Fuzzy' because it sticks straight up at the crown and is absolutely ADORABLE!!!!.

She has had an eventful couple of days. On Thursday I took her into the doctor because she had a fever and they drew blood (little needle into her little arm - painful to watch) and gave her a catheter to get a urine sample. She was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and given two injections of antibiotic; one in each of her thighs. Given her age and the bacteria found in her urine, they wanted to keep a close eye on her and had me make an appointment for Friday where they gave her two more injections of antibiotic and another appointment for Saturday where they again gave her two more injections. She was finally cleared for an oral antibiotic and will be on it for the next 8 days. It has made her a little fussier than normal, but understandable given her discomfort. I am not sure if it is because of the infection and medicine, but we are having a hard time reading her. She wakes up crying in the middle of her naps and as of late just seems unhappy. It is hard on Ryan and I because Cael was such an easy baby to read. We will figure it out and I am pretty sure that we will see a different little girl once she is feeling better.

Big Brother 101

-Cael says 'night night' when he wants Aveyn to lay down so he can lay down next to her.
-When at a birthday party for some friends of his from daycare they wanted to see Aveyn in her car seat. When they got too close, Cael got upset and tried to hit them. -Not so much protective as he is possessive :)
-When we feed Aveyn we usually have a burp cloth over our shoulder. Every time Cael sees a burp cloth he picks it up and throws it over our shoulder for us.
-He understands that the little sleepers are for the 'baby' and when he helps with laundry will say 'baby' 'baby'.
-When Aveyn is crying, Cael will put his finger to his lips and say 'shhhh' because I say 'shhh' to him when we check on her and when I am trying to get her to take the pacifier.
-When he wants to hold her he will hold his arms out to the side.
-He likes to help burp her and will pat her on the back either simultaneously (hand on the back of your hand) or wants to do it all by himself (wants you to move your hand so he can do it).
-Before Cael goes to bed, his ritual now includes giving Aveyn a kiss good night (if she is up).
-He can't say Aveyn so he calls her 'Avi'.
-When I take him with me to check on her, he will say 'bye bye babies' in his best whisper when we are leaving the room.
-He also understands (for the most part) that we need him to be quiet when checking on Aveyn in her crib and so he whispers while he is in her room.

Calling all Moms - question

Now that I have more than one kid I have a lot of questions, but the biggest one right now is how to put two kids to bed. It seems that when it is time to put Cael to bed it is also time to give Aveyn a bottle. Do you work it out so they are put to bed at different times or just figure something out so you can put one of them down while the other one waits?? So I am calling all of my mommy friends to tell me how they put their multiple kids to bed at night?? I know I am probably over analyzing this way too much, but I can't help myself so please help out a desperate mother!!! Thanks!!!!!!

Say 'Cheese'

Babies smile a lot sooner than they really 'smile'. It is called gas and I have never been able to tell the difference sooooo I stopped trying and just started snapping pictures because let's be honest, a baby smiling, regardless of the reason is worth its weight in gold.

Happy Halloween - 2009

Despite the thick blanket of snow that covered the ground, Halloween dawned with bright blue skies and temperatures that eventually reached the low sixties. Ryan and I had agreed to meet Don and Alyssa at Southlands Mall (similar to Village Pointe in Omaha) around 1:30 to do some trick or treating at participating stores. The mall was hosting a Halloween event for kids with bounce houses, story reading, face painting and of course LOTS of candy. The weather was gorgeous and there were a TON of people with lines that stretched for blocks as people waited to receive their candy. We were content just to walk around and look at all the costumes as none of us wanted to wait that long. Cael spent the outing being carried by Daddy and Aveyn was fast asleep in her car seat!

Once we got back to the house, it was time for Cael to do some trick or treating around the neighborhood. We did a quick costume change, took some pictures and then he left with Daddy while I stayed home with Aveyn (she was exhausted from all of the trick or treating at the mall)! He went as a skunk this time and was so stinkin' (HA - pun intended) cute. Grandma made the costume for Nolan and offered to bring it out for Cael to use. We weren't sure it was going to fit, but it turned out perfectly!!!