I solemnly swear...

...to get back to regular blogging!

I've been so bad at it lately, but I've also been really really busy! I know we all say that, but whatever. I work full time, go to school part time, and have 2 very active kids at home. By the time I put the kids to bed at night I'm exhausted!

So anyway, back to my purpose for writing.

Back when I found out I was pregnant with Clara, I got on the interwebz to try to find all the information I could to learn about what I'd be going through during my pregnancy. That led me to theBump. The Bump is a message board that is designed for women who are trying to get pregnant, have lost babies, and who have babies. My due date was in November so I found the message board specifically for moms who were pregnant and due in November 2010 (meaning we found out we were pregnant around Feb/March 2010).

Fast forward 3 years later, and there is a rather large group of us who are still friends. We've mostly moved over to Facebook now, but we're still going strong. We've been through a lot: divorces, new houses, new babies, dating...yet it is still amazing to have this group of friends (whom I've never met in person) to vent to, ask for advice, whatever.

Five of us have now set up a blog together about our trials and tribulations with "2u2". Our blog is called "Between Naps" and there's a link to it in the sidebar of my blog. I encourage you to go check it out sometime. It's really neat to see the difference in personalities of us five ladies....and we all have some wicked cute kiddos, too!

Clara in February

Well, what kinds of things has Miss Clara been up to in February?

She participated in her first Valentine's Day exchange. The November moms have one every year and this year she AND Sam got involved. She got quite a few Valentines from her friends, too! I addressed them but she helped me decorate them. It was fun.

She  has been going to Story Time at the Library on Mondays. She always has a good time there. Sam has even gone along a time or two.

Everyone in our house is finally starting to stay healthy so we've been trying to get out more often.

Developmentally, things have been a bit up and down. We thought we pretty much had her potty trained. She would stay dry most of the day and almost always told us when she had to go. Now she could care less if she pees through her underwear. She'd rather wear a Pull-Up. And if you notice her doing the "pee pee dance" and ask her if she has to go, she says no. It's really frustrating.

The fits have also seemed to really ramp up, too. She throws them over the smallest things! And we're not talking just a little fit. Oh, no. She usually ends up crying like someone pushed her down. And poor Sam...if he touches something she doesn't want him to she either yells at him or pushes him down (or takes it away from him all together).
Eating has been interesting. Some days she'll barely eat anything and then the next day she's putting away 10 chicken nuggets for lunch.

She has been sleeping really well at night. She sleeps through most nights...probably 9 out of 10. Naps, on the otherhand....She will go lay in her bed, but she usually doesn't sleep. She will play in there for as long as we let her. I think most days she doesn't nap anymore. I think she may be trying to drop the nap all together, but I don't think she's quite ready for it. On the days she doesn't nap she often falls asleep before 8pm.

In March we have my birthday, Mimi's birthday and Sam's birthday. I think we'll be having lots of fun! I also hope the weather starts improving. I know we all have a bit of cabin fever and I look forward to having both kids be able to go outside and play. Last year I always had to have Sam in the stroller or in the carrier and it wasn't much fun. Now he can come out and toddle with us, too! I know we'll be going for lots of walks and trips to the playground. And even to the beach, hopefully, too!

She really is the sweetest thing, though. She loves to give hugs, snuggles, kisses and nosies. She's always excited to see us when we've been gone. She still loves to read books with us and she really likes her new LeapPad that she got for Christmas. She is really going to town with learning how to write her letters and learning how to make words. Her manual dexterity is really getting impressive.

I can't wait until we can get out of the house and enjoy Spring...when it finally gets here!

Sam-11 month survey!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old is baby? 11 months (ok, well more like 11.5 lol)

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: April 25, 2013

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: Probably around 25lbs

b.      Height: Around 32 inches

c.       Clothes size: 12-18 months for everything.

d.      Diaper size: Using up the last of the 3's and have 4's standing by.

e.      Hair color: Blonde.

f.        Anything else? This kid is just solid. And adorable. :)

4.       Milestones:

a.       Verbal skills: He still jabbers constantly. He says "dada", "mama", "ot", "up", and I don't know that they're all words exactly, but those are the main sounds.

b.      Rolling: Oh no, he's got way more important things to do!

c.       Crawling: Very rarely anymore.

d.      Walking: YES!! He started walking on February 10, 2013! It's actually 2 weeks sooner than Clara did! Now he's all over the place. He even started walking with his hands down by his side!

e.      Anything else? He likes to point at stuff. He loves walking around the house and likes to carry things while doing so. He likes to eat, a lot! And he enjoys putting things into and taking things out of other things. Sometimes it drives Clara nuts. He claps, waves, and even dances a little, too.

5.       Things he likes: He loves to play, pull things off of shelves and tables, walk everywhere, do anything with his sister. He likes to clap along when he hears someone else clapping, even on TV. He ADORES SuperWhy. He likes to read his Highlights Hello magazine with us.

6.       Things he dislikes: Trying new foods and getting his diaper changed. :)

7.       Sleeping: At night he has been sleeping really well. He's usually in bed by 8pm and sleeps pretty consistently until around 6am. He will usually take one nap anywhere from 1-3 hours and either in the morning or afternoon. Most times he'll sleep in the car if we're out and about, too.

8.       Eating: He's still eating a lot of jarred baby food, but we're starting to feed him more from the table. He loves yogurt!

9.       Nicknames: Captain and Stormageddon.

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: His 1st Birthday (which is actually at the end of this month)!!! We're also having 1-year pictures taken and having pictures taken at his party. It's also my birthday. He and Clara are going to Mimi & Papa's for the evening so Daddy & I can go out for dinner.

11.   How I like motherhood: I still love it (most days, anyway)!! I think there will always be days when I wish I had more time for myself to do things besides homework and housework, but I love spending time with the kids. And honestly, when I've put in a hard day at work nothing warms my heart more than when both kids come running over to me after I walk in the door.

a.       Likes: Watching them play together and even breaking up their fights and arguments.

b.      Dislikes: Not having quite as much time to myself as I would like.

Pictures!!

Sam's 10-month survey...sans pictures.

Monthly Survey

How old is baby? 10 months! Almost a year old already!

Doctor’s appointments?: April 25th, 2013

Stats:

Weight: 21lbs

Height:

Clothes size: He wears a lot of 9 month stuff, but needs to move up to 12m, especially jammies. Needs 12-18m pants.

Diaper size: Still in 3’s, but I think we’ll be going up a size soon. He’s starting to leak again.

Hair color: Blonde...and in need of a hair cut!

Anything else?

Milestones:

Verbal skills: He does lots of babbling. He’s making a ton of new sounds.

Teething: 8 teeth! 4 on top 4 on bottom. He seems to have chilled with the teething for a bit, too.

Rolling: Not a primary mode of transport, but he still does.

Crawling: It’s how he gets around. And boy is he fast!

Walking: Not yet, but he cruises on the furniture and can stand himself up in the middle of a room.

Anything else? Since everything went down with our health issues this month, I’ve started bathing both kids together to save time. They love it!!

Things he likes: His favorite toys are his Weebles, the Fisher Price Wheelies and Little People, and the Little People Zoo. He is just starting to get into reading books.

Things he dislikes: Diaper/clothes changes.

Sleeping: He’s just finally starting to sleep better. Most nights he sleeps from around 8-8:30pm until 6am. Sometimes he wakes up once for a bottle and then goes back to sleep. He’s also officially down to one nap per day. If we drive somewhere in the morning he’ll usually sleep in the car. Otherwise his afternoon naps have been about 3 hours.

Eating: He eats really well! Usually a yogurt cup and jar of fruit for breakfast, 2 jars of food for lunch, and 2 for dinner. He drinks 2 or 3-8oz bottles of formula during the day, mostly before naps/bedtime. For snacks he likes puffs or yogurt melts. I’ve been trying to get him to eat table food, but he still has trouble with textures.

Nicknames: Magpie (he is drawn to shiny stuff), buddy, the captain.

Things we’re looking forward to next month: We’re looking forward to EVERYONE being healthy!

How I like motherhood: I love being a mom. Especially right now. The kids are so much fun! They love to laugh at each other. They love playing together and it just warms my heart to see them interacting with each other.

Likes: I’ve really enjoyed being off work for the last month, I just wish it were for a better reason!

Dislikes: I really dislike having to take care of both kids while suffering/recovering from a concussion.

 

It's already February....

Ok.....so it has been a long time since I last posted. To be honest, a LOT has happened since then and we've just been really busy.

On January 6, Adam and the cat had a "disagreement" and he ended up getting a bite on his right index finger. By Tuesday (just 1.5 days later) I convinced him to seek medical treatment because it was swollen and red. We saw a NP who gave him 2 antibiotics and scheduled a follow-up for the next day. We also had to file a report with the police because it is apparently state law. So we picked up drugs at the pharmacy and then I dropped Adam at home. I also had to pick up the cat and take her to the vet, per health department policy.

The next day, January 9, he went for a follow-up. From there he was sent to the local orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Henry...the guy who did his knee) who then sent him to a hand specialist in Green Bay (Dr. Sodhi). So by 5:30pm we were sitting in the waiting room of BayCare Medical center waiting to be taken back to surgery. By 10pm he was up in his room and I think I was back to his parents' house (our 2nd home base during the last couple months!) by 11pm. He was then discharged on Friday night (finally!). 

We had a follow-up with Dr. Sodhi on January 16th, which also ended up with him being admitted for another surgery, but at least he got to come home the same day. 

On the 18th, we thought we had a follow-up scheduled, but when we got there he wasn't on the calendar. He got squeezed in anyway and Dr. Sodhi still didn't like the way it looked so Adam was eventually admitted for IV antibiotics. Saturday morning he had yet another surgery on his finger and he also got his PICC line put in. Sunday afternoon he was finally free to go. He got discharged, we went and picked up the kids, and hurried home to meet the home health nurse. Why a home health nurse? Because Adam is doing 6 weeks of IV antibiotics at home. 

Ok, so I took FMLA to take care of Adam and drive to all the appointments and what not, but I used up my 2 weeks and was scheduled to go back to work on the 23rd. Well, on Monday night (the 21st), I had gotten Clara out of the bath and we were in her room. I bent down to pick her up and at the same time, she jumped up and her head came into contact with my top front teeth. Now, I didn't really think anything of it. And since she wasn't bleeding, we carried on with our night. When I woke up the next day I was so dizzy I could barely get out of bed. And after throwing up twice, I decided it was time to visit the doctor. Turns out, I have a concussion. 

So...multiple follow-up visits later for both of us, we're both making progress. Adam got his meds switched this week so now he's down to 1 IV antibiotic and 2 oral ones. I had my meds increased to help with the horrible and constant headaches that I've been dealing with. 

Oh yeah, and Adam also got the flu last week and both kids had colds. 

So here we are in the middle of February. I'm still off work. I have another appointment on Friday, so hopefully I'll get some better news. 

And if you're wondering if we still have the cat, no we don't. Someone took them for us and we hope they have a much easier life. They weren't great with little kids and it was a lot to have to worry about both kids plus where the cat was and who was chasing her. 

We're hanging in there. We're both slowly getting better. Hopefully life will be getting back to semi-normal next week. Hopefully I'll be cleared to return to work. Adam will only have a couple weeks left of IV therapy and then hopefully he'll get the go-ahead for physical therapy. 

I have Sam's 9-month survey done, I just need to post it. I don't have any pictures this month, though, because I didn't have the chance to take any. I'm also working on 1st birthday plans, working through the Spring semester of school, and now Sam is walking, so I'm sure we'll really be on the go now!

Clara in December

We had lots of fun in December!

St. Nick brought both the kids lots of fun new toys and books.

We also had our first major snowfall. Clara was excited to put on her snowpants and jacket and help Daddy shovel the driveway.

I just checked the other day and she has 3 of her 4 2-year molars finally. Almost done!!

She is getting really good at going to sleep in her own bed...even for naps. She rarely wakes in the night anymore and when she does she almost always is able to get back to sleep without anyone picking her up. She has been sleeping about 12 hours a night.

Shs is also quite the big helper. I was unloading dishes the other day and she said she wanted to help clean up so I asked her to put away Sam's baby food. And she did! She also likes to help me throw clothes in the hamper, get toys or a cup for Sam, and lots of other very helpful things.

She is just filled to the brim with love and silliness. I love this girl so much!! The big picture in the collage was taken when she was laying in my lap being really silly. :) I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Sam's 9 month survey. How is this kid almost a year old already?

Monthly Survey

 

How old is baby? 9 months

Doctor’s appointments?: January 11, 2013

Stats:

• Weight: 21lbs
•  Height: 28 inches
• Clothes size: Mostly 12 months, still some 9 month jammies.
• Diaper size: Still in 3’s.
• Hair color: Blonde. He’s also had 2 haircuts already!
• Anything else?

Milestones:

• Verbal skills: Nothing new on this front. He still makes lots of different sounds, just not words. And he still loves to scream.
• Teething: God help us…he has almost 8 teeth. One of the lower incisors is just barely through and one molar on top. Yes, I said MOLAR. Really kid? 1-year molars at 9 months? Ok, just hurry up because you’re a real BEAST! *update-he now appears to be cutting not only molars but canines as well.*
• Rolling: Nope. Doesn’t want to anymore. Crawling is way faster!
• Crawling: Like a crazy man! He’s a little speed demon.
• Walking: He cruises the furniture. He also has a toy he can push and walk behind. He’s getting the hang of that, too. He did take one step unassisted the other day…scary!
• Anything else? He can clap!! He just discovered this talent on Christmas Day. We’ve also since discovered he knows how to wave, though he doesn’t like to do it all the time. *update-he also knows how to do “So Big!” He can use a sippy cup, too. He likes to have water in it. We haven’t put anything else in it yet, though.

Things he likes: His family. We’re his favorite people. If we’re all home but not in the same room, he’ll go search out the people who are missing. It’s like he needs to have everyone together all the time. He has had so much fun playing with Clara lately, too. It’s really cute to watch (and listen to!). Other than that he’s just enjoying his new toys that he got for Christmas. Oh, and hanging upside-down.

Things he dislikes: He does not like green beans. I’m trying to start giving him actual food that he has to chew, but I think he’s still having trouble with textures.

Sleeping: Ugh…not great. He has really bad nights when he’s up a lot (probably because of his teething) and other nights where he’s only up once. And he’s starting to sleep in more. Naps are ok. He either takes one big nap per day or one very short one and one semi-long one.

Eating: He’s a great eater. He loves purees. He’s getting really into puffs and cereal, too. I think we might start giving him toast soon, too. He usually eats 1-2 jars of purees 3 times a day. He’ll take a bottle before naps and before bed (or he’ll nurse sometimes). We’ve also been giving him water in a sippy during meals and snack times.

Nicknames: Um, I don’t think there are any new ones. He’s still the Captain, little buddy, little man.

Things we’re looking forward to next month: His 9-month check-up, Papa’s birthday, Uncle Kenny’s birthday. Not much else going on. I’m sure we’ll find some fun things to do in the post-Christmas lull.

How I like motherhood: OMG, for as much as I thought having 2u2 was going to be hard, it’s totally paying off right now! They love to play together. It just warms my heart to hear them laughing and playing together, even though they’re still small.

• Likes: Being a mom is the best thing ever. It isn’t easy and being a good wife at the same time is difficult, but nothing that’s worth doing is ever easy, right?
• Dislikes: I don’t like Sam’s erratic sleep schedule right now, but I know it’s just because he’s teething. I hope that once he finally cuts all his teeth (which I can’t imagine is going to take long at this point) he’ll be a whole new kid. I just love the little guy so much and I hate seeing him so uncomfortable. :(

 

Pictures!!