Runny Noses and Grumpy Kids

My poor kids. Last Thursday they were fine, healthy, and happy. Friday was the preschool holiday party at which, I noticed Aidan had a runny nose. Well, it all went downhill from there. By the time Nana and Grandpa got here, both kids were congested and draining. By the time Saturday got here, poor Olivia couldn't sleep on her back so she slept in her car seat for a couple days. Saline nasal spray really seemed to help her as did the humidifier. Monday she seemed a lot better and I thought we'd dodged a trip to the doc. Aidan was much better on Sunday too. But like his little sister, his congestion has returned too. So, benadryl, a humidifier in his room, and that mentholated soap in his bath have been in order. They all seem to help but he hasn't kicked it yet. His poor face got chapped from all the wiping but even that seems improved since a little aquaphor and lip balm. The drainage is making him cough a little in the morning but that seems to be the only time. I think he only has a cold and there isn't much that can be done. Olivia, I'm not sure. She had a fever Saturday night but it broke with tylenol and didn't return. She isn't sleeping at night very well and has been a cranky pants today. She has fought sleep. Poor thing, on top of it all is still battling those teeth. Although I see white on her bottom gums, nothing has come through. And I see a lot of white. I think it's really bothering her which creates a problem for me. Which is it really? Is it a cold and possible ear infection or it is teething which won't improve until those puppies come through? Not to mention the fact that Christmas is days away and we are to be traveling eventually. Ugh. I really thought we had dodged the doctor but I made an appointment for Olivia tomorrow morning. I'll give her one more night but somehow, I don't think she'll sleep any better. It's going to be a long night. I just hope the doctor has some ideas about how to help the kids out.

Aidan's Preschool Party

Aidan's preschool class carolled in the halls, made ornaments, saw Santa again, and got presents from the teachers. They also gave us parents calendars they had made using hand prints. Really cute! Aidan did a good job but he was ready to go home. Olivia was very good and looked so cute. Enjoy the video and pics!

What a Weekend!

What a weekend! Friday night was my Moms' party for playgroup. What a fun night! We had drinks, played games, and talked until late. It was so needed for all moms who were able to attend. I love my fellow playgroup mommas. I'm so glad I found them after we moved here. Saturday morning I got my hair cut finally. Boy did I need that. Should probably do it more than once every 6-7 mos. I love the cut and it feels so much better! Saturday night was Julien's party for work. It was a lot of fun too. We played Scene It and I tried not to dominate too much. ;) I can't help it if I have a knack for useless trivia. But, we had a secret santa exchange and I now have salad serving spoons, and really nice ones too. And Julien got a 6 pack. Do they know him or what? Nana and Grandpa watched the kids for us. Poor babies have colds. Aidan seems to be doing better than Olivia. She had a rough night and ended up sleeping in her car seat so she could breathe. She's congested, has runny, goopy eyes, and had a fever last night. Luckily the fever is gone and saline drops have helped a lot. But I think we may have to go to the doctor just to check. This is the first time she's been sick and I don't want it to go to her ears. She's been sick since Friday so I feel like she's suffered long enough. I don't know yet if Aidan will be going to his last day of preschool before Christmas break. I may take him with to the doc. We'll see how he feels in the morning after some Claritin at bedtime. His poor face is chapped from having a runny nose and wiping it all the time. I have a feeling though, that it will be a long night for Olivia. She did sleep til 2am last night but had some problems after that. I was hoping for a relaxing week but I don't think that's going to happen. Oh well. Maybe next time. ;) Wish us luck!

Christmas Cookie Heaven!

We're been a flurry of baking activity lately. Since this weekend, I've made 9 dozen cookies (dried cherry and almond cookies, triple chocolate butterscotch pecan cookies, and candy cane blossoms), two batches of party mix and a pan of oatmeal cream cheese butterscotch bars. I have already gone through three pounds of butter. By Friday I will have made 4 dozen more cookies. And next week I plan on making cookies to take to my parents' house. I may even have the courage to try and make kringlas. For the non-Norwegian contingent who read this, they are a cross between a bread and a cookie that are baked in the shape of a pretzel. They are a family tradition and time intensive but so worth the effort. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully next week I will have the time to get all these things done. This week has been crazy busy. Aidan has his playgroup Christmas party, his preschool Christmas party, I have the Moms Playgroup Christmas party, and Julien's work Christmas party. Not to mention that I have a hair appointment (yea!) and I'm getting the house clean for Nana and Grandpa to come. Whew. Thank goodness Olivia has been sleeping well at night. She's been sleeping 7:00ish to 3:00ish. Which is awesome and totally doable. In fact, last night she almost made it to 4a. I really think she's made a breakthrough and will continue to sleep this way. Of course, she's teething right now and was miserable this afternoon so I've probably jinxed myself. Her poor little gums are so swollen. I really hope they poke through soon. I think it'd be cute if she got her two front teeth for Christmas.

I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping this week too. I only have one person left, which is such a relief. In fact, I have everything for our stockings too. Now, I have to finish wrapping whenever two little people in my house let me. :) But I even have a lot of that done too. It feels nice to be ahead this year. Usually we cut it pretty close. I'm hoping I can relax a little next week and enjoy the holiday. Wouldn't that be nice?

Aidan's "Stupid" Phase and Other News

This week brought us some cold weather and horrible winds. One morning when I was up with Olivia, the wind blew so hard that it made me wonder what of ours was blowing down the street. It sounded like someone was banging on the windows as hard as they could. Everyone else slept through it though. Which is good cause it was another crazy week.

Aidan went for his H1N1 shot this week. The pediatrician's office got another shipment and he was lucky enough to get one. I had Julien meet me there as Aidan has developed a crippling fear of needles since the whole allergist trauma. (Which I got the bill for the blood work this week and I'm mad all over again.) Julien had to hold him and it still took two tries. Aidan cried so hard. On top of it, he refused to take the band aids off for days. The magical healing powers of band aids, I tell you. In fact, with his grumpiness and the weather, I decided to let him stay home from preschool on Wednesday. Even 3 year olds deserve mental health days. Or at least their mommies do. While we played hookey that day, we lost power at the house for two hours. So annoying! I had been talking to a friend about getting together for a play date and I had just said "today's not so great, how about tomorrow" when the lights went out. Definitely a sign that the play date should be another day. The next day, a couple playgroup friends came over with their kids and we all had lunch and hung out. Friday, Aidan went back to preschool and came home with some cute Christmas projects he had made.

Aidan has been saying a new phrase lately. And I know who he gets it from. And unfortunately, I can't be mad at Julien cause it didn't come from him. Recently, Aidan has started saying "I can't get this stupid thing to work." Now, when you hear it, it's cute. But, then he started saying a lot of things were "stupid." I told him that stupid isn't a nice word and even though Mommy says it, it isn't right and I shouldn't be saying it either. Then, in his infinite 3 year old wisdom, he justified it by saying, "but it's about things Mommy." That he had the complex thought process that calling a thing stupid was more acceptable than calling a person stupid is impressive to me. However, I told him it was still a no-go. Then tonight he told me to "come here stupid." Oh really? Where did you get the idea that was ok. We talked about how it wasn't ok to call people stupid ever and it was hurtful. One more and time out for him. So, without thinking it seemed, he did it again. So, time out has had. Crying ensued followed by another little talk and no more "stupids" this evening. I think he might be hearing some of the other kids using it at school and he was repeating it like a script and not even realizing what he was saying. Either that or calling the cats stupid has had more of an impact than we realized. But, it's almost like a phase he's entered. He likes to be the "bad guy" now and likes to play fight. I hope he's not loosing his sweetness. I'm not such a fan of gruff demeanor he's trying out.

Speaking of demeanors, Olivia's has changed since leaving newbornhood. She's mellowed a lot lately. No more difficult, fussy, refluxy baby. No more screaming in the car the entire ride either. (thank goodness!) Much more contented. And she has one of the biggest smiles I've seen on a baby ever. She loves kids and loves loves loves her brother. She is also a big fan of Daddy. She gets a huge smile everyday when he gets home. You can see she's excited to see him. I didn't know she could be a Daddy's girl so young but I think she is. She's really chunked up as we are apparently unable to do the teeny baby thing in this house. :) Her cheeks look like they may explode if they get any bigger and she has the biggest buddha belly. We started cereal over a week ago. She isn't sure about it but she's willing to try. Tried bananas too. She thought that was pretty interesting. She's really stepped up the eating lately to 6-7 ounces every 2-3 hours. In turn, this week she's slept so well at night. In fact, last night she slept from 7:30p-5:00a. It was fantastic! I really hoped she's turned a corner and will continue like this. I could really get used to 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Speaking of sleep, I think it's time for me to head to bed. Tonight's my night off and I want to enjoy it.

A Visit With Santa!

Today was our first field trip with preschool. We headed to the Oakland House for a puppet show, Santa, and a cookie from Mrs. Claus. Aidan was very excited to go see Santa and ask him, in person, for his crane. We got there early and had to wait outside. The place wasn't big enough to have a place to wait until our time. The place is an old mansion but every room on the first floor has an activity that the kids do then you exit the backdoor. (Which was kind of odd. Felt like you were either sneaking out or getting booted out.) So we wait outside and luckily Olivia and I kept snuggled and she stayed warm. Aidan ran around with the kids and got crazy. First you see a puppet show and hear a story. Aidan was very good about sitting and listening. I was impressed as some of the other 3 year olds were a little more hyper. Then they usher you into see Santa. Luckily I was standing next to the door since I had Olivia in the baby carrier and can't really sit with her, and we were 3rd in line. Aidan got up on Santa's lap and asked him for his crane. Which, I don't think "Santa" understood and thought Aidan said train. Oh well. Santa was trying. :) Then Aidan and Olivia got to sit with Santa and I took some pictures. Olivia almost got a handful of Santa's beard which could've been disastrous. Luckily, we were able to get away without de-bearding Santa and were ushered to the kitchen to see Mrs. Claus and get his cookie. Mrs. Claus had a neat dress on, like she was straight out of a book. And the smell of fresh baked cookies all through the house was awesome. So we found a spot to sit real quick and Aidan and I ate our cookies. The ladies there fawned over Olivia and took turns holding her for me. I quickly packed up my camera, the carrier, a blanket, and got Aidan's coat on. He turned to me and told me he didn't want to leave yet. Considering we were there a grand total of 30 minutes, I kind of agreed with him. I was hoping there would be more for him to do. I know it's only $3 to get in but I was hoping for more. But, we were ushered out the back door and out we went. On the way to the car, Aidan and I decided to head to the Bread Co. and get a bagel or something. Our friends Samantha, Gabi and Joey were able to join us too. So we had a little snack and the boys were crazy together. After that we were all beat and headed home for some lunch and a well earned nap after a successful field trip.

Ross-Boon Kid Update!

Thought it was time for a quick update on the Ross-Boon children. I also sent this out as an email so, if you have read this before, please humor me. Olivia just had her 4 month appointment this week. It blows my mind that she's 4 months already. Where did my newborn go? Although since she's not sleeping through the night yet, she's still a newborn in my mind in some ways. I am really looking forward to sleeping again someday. Anyway, Olivia and I went to the doctor while Aidan was at preschool. It was so nice just to have one with me for this. Especially since Olivia was asleep until I had to undress her. I hardly knew what to do with myself. Right now Olivia measures 15 lb 7 oz and 26 inches. She's gained over 3 pounds and 3 1/2" in two months. Wow! I knew she had grown a lot but that's impressive. The doctor said she thought the length measurement must have been off last time. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was the one who measured Olivia last time. Overall, Olivia is doing great and the doctor was pleased with her. She rolled back to tummy the day before her appointment and hasn't stopped since. She's also working on her two bottom teeth. She started cereal after her doctor's appointment. She's still in the stage of playing with it and pushing it out of her mouth but she seems to like it. I'm sure she'll be enjoying her food before too long. Her hair is getting long now too. I have to brush it behind her ears or it sticks out. She has the biggest smile and loves to watch her brother. And brother loves to be involved in whatever she's doing too. She also has big smiles for Daddy. She loves her Daddy. He usually puts her to bed and I can tell she prefers him to. She's gotten into her toys too. She loves stuffed animals and she loves anything she can grab and stuff in her mouth. Our neighbors got her her own Tigger and Aidan was convinced she needed to be playing with it. So that's been a popular toy lately.

As for Aidan, it's been a busy month for him. It's been about a month since he started preschool. He seems to really like it and to be doing well. He's come home with a couple Good Listener awards and one Cooperation award. He tells me that he doesn't know the names of his teachers or classmates yet which is a little weird, but he can tell you what they did in school each day. He never cries when I leave him. In fact he'd prefer if I left quickly and without a fuss. He also tells me most mornings that he wants to go in their potty and not ours, which was one of my concerns so it seems that worked itself out. Next week the pool reopens and they will start going once a week. Aidan's a little nervous about it but we've talked it out. I had to explain what a lifeguard was which was funny. Hopefully that and the excitement of wearing new Spiderman swim trunks will put his mind at ease and he'll enjoy it. The pool only has a foot of water, maybe two. In the end, not so scary. We go on our first field trip tomorrow to see Santa at the Oakland House in Afton. It isn't stroller friendly and I have to take Olivia with so this should be fun. Lately, Aidan has been into dragons and caves. It was all he wanted to do last week and everyone took their turn helping him build a cave. He's also into using scissors and is doing pretty good with them too. He's looking forward to Christmas this year. It's amazing how much he understands. He knows about Santa and has asked for a crane from him. Which, was no easy feat to pull off. After about a week or so, I finally I found the one Aidan wanted back in stock online and for a good deal. It showed up yesterday and I rushed to hide it from him. That's new this year too. Having to hide presents. As my kids become smarter I'm forced to become more clever. Let's hope I can keep up. :) I think Aidan has gone through not just a mental growth spurt but a physical one again too. He's starting to fit size 4 shirts, not 4T. And 3T pants are getting small. We don't do small kids in this house I guess. Adrian and I kept talking about how big Aidan was now and how big he's going to be. He looks so much more grown up too. His face is changing and become more grown and it's only going to get worse. It makes me a little sad to think about the little guy he started out as. One night not that long ago, I told him something my mom told me right before I got married. I told him, "No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby." He promptly replied, "Mommy I'm not a baby!" Which is true, he's far from it now. But, he and Olivia will always be Mommy's babies, no matter how big they get or how fast the time flies by.

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving turned out to be a busy week for us. Everything started off with Adrian flying in on Saturday before Thanksgiving. He stayed with us for about 10 days. It was so great to see him again. Aidan was really looking forward to Uncle Adrian coming and asked for days when he'd get here. Needless to say, Uncle Adrian was a big hit and a great sport. While Adrian was here there was a lot of video game playing, eating, and drinking beer and even some bathroom painting. :) My half bath on the main floor is now painted. Yes there is a story behind why it got done this week but, don't ask. Let's just say it was some penitence. :) Tuesday night, Nana and Grandpa got in. Aidan was super excited about that too. Not only did he have Nana, which is a big deal, but he had Grandpa and Adrian to play with too. There were caves built all over, dragons flying around, lots of coloring, and a lot of giggling going on all week. And of course Olivia wasn't left out. It had been a while since Grandpa had seen her and she's gotten big! It was also the first time Adrian had met her and let's just say, it was love at first sight. And while the kids got to play and got tons of attention, Mommy got a little bit of a break. Adrian gave Aidan his baths and put him to bed every night until Nana got here and then she took over. Everyone wanted a turn with baby girl. I actually got some sleep here and there since Julien was off all week and was able to get up with her too. Let's just say that I got spoiled too. :)

Since everyone was in town for Thanksgiving, of course that means there was a lot of food going on at my house too. We did not one but two turkeys; one fried and one roasted. There were mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes wrapped in prosciutto, homemade stuffing, bread, brussel sprout casserole, gravy, pecan and pumpkin cream cheese pies. I know I'm forgetting something but the list is long enough. And we had some champaign to toast with. It was awesome! And if that wasn't enough food, we went out the next night for more food. Adrian is a Four Seasons employee and he gets free rooms and discounted meals at their restaurants. So, he stayed at a plush hotel Friday night and we all went to their fine dining restaurant. And we took the kids cause we are that brave. LOL! Actually, we knew if someone wasn't happy we could always take them up to the room. So we all got dressed up, even the kids who looked so cute, and went for a wonderful dinner. Aidan was so good that even I was impressed. He sat at the table the whole time (which was two hours!) and ate a ton and was very quiet. We took toys for him to play with but he was happy with the colored pencils they gave him and the cool kids cup. He had some crab, some calamari, not to mention his chicken fingers and fries. (Which were really good.) Olivia was really good too. She slept half of the time and then she was content to sit in every one's laps. All the staff went on about how cute the kids were. But the service was incredible all around. The food was incredible. The wine was excellent. All around a lot of fun and a great experience that we never could have afforded with out Adrian. :) When our desserts came out, Aidan had one of his own. They brought out a plate with warm cookies, a little bowl of m-n-ms, and a rice crispy treat in the shape of the Arch and it was glued to the plate with chocolate standing up. In chocolate they had written "Welcome Aidan". Very cool and he loved it! Gina got a little dessert in honor of her birthday that had been earlier in the week. In the end, we were all stuffed and went up to check out Adrian's awesome room and great view and then headed home. That's where we paid our karmic debt for such a great time. We were stuck in traffic on 55 about 5 minutes from home for about an hour. There had been an accident that shut down all four lanes and even though I read the signs that said it was closed and wanted to take an earlier exit, Julien said those signs are always wrong and stay on 55. I'm not listening to him ever again. It was so annoying. And let's just say I'm really glad I keep a travel potty in the car at all times as it came in handy.

The rest of the week was spent going out to eat, going to the City Museum, and playing a lot of Wii. Aidan was so sad when everyone started to leave. He kept telling everyone that they didn't have to go, that they could stay here. I had to physically pry him off Adrian last night and tell him to go to bed. Poor Uncle Adrian. I know that was hard on him. Even this morning, Aidan asked where he was. So this week will be hard as Aidan will be demanding a lot of attention and cave building. But at least he has preschool and playgroup to keep him busy. Olivia on the other hand, is almost recovering from all the festivities. She's been sleeping hard today. But she also accomplished another milestone by finally rolling back to tummy today after trying all week. Of course she does it after everyone leaves. It was a busy week but a lot of fun! I wish everyone lived a little closer so we could do it more often. I know Aidan would love that.

Aidan's First Sick Day

Friday, Aidan woke up with a fever, no appetite, and a need to be clingy. No preschool for him. We only made it a week and a half before he had a sick day. Oh well. So, I called the doctor and made him an appointment. Olivia's been congested all week and Julien had strep last week so I figured it was a good idea. Turns out he has an ear infection. She checked Olivia since she was there too and Olivia looks fine. She said just to ride out the congestion and keep up with the vaporizer and elevating the head of her mattress. Poor Aidan complained his ear hurt off and on all Friday. But he slept better on Friday night. Thursday night was a rough night for Aidan. He didn't sleep well and he wet the bed. But, the first dose of antibiotic seemed to perk him up a lot. He's been so excited about Uncle Adrian coming too. He can't wait to play with him. So, the holiday week begins for us today. Nana and Grandpa are coming soon and then Turkey Day! Hopefully we'll all be healthy for it.

Ferber Method, Night 4 and Tonight Too

Last night was night #4 of the Ferber method. Olivia made a little noise briefly but, no real crying. She still isn't sleeping all that great due to her congestion so she was up often. Boy does she get mad when you suction her nose out too. I hope she gets better soon. I could really use some sleep and not in short bursts. Tonight, Olivia went down without a peep. In fact, she's made less noise than Aidan has. ("I gotta go potty, I want a toy, Rub my back." ) Either way, it's nice to have a routine for putting both the kids down. Makes the house feel kind of normal again.

Ferber Method, Night 3

Last night was night #3 for the Ferber method. Olivia fussed a little longer than the night before but, it's only a matter of time before she doesn't put up a fight. She got up often last night again. I'm really hoping that changes soon. Aidan got up twice to go potty last night. As annoying as that was, I was glad he got up and didn't end up wetting the bed. With all the getting up, I was glad that I went to bed early last night. The extra hour and a half really helped today. I was able to start cleaning the house. Adrian gets in Saturday. We are all super excited about that. And Nana and Grandpa get in early next week. Lots to do to get ready for Thanksgiving. It'll be a busy week! Aidan continues to love preschool. He has no problem leaving me in the morning and he's always happy to see me when I come to pick him up. Today he came home with a turkey they made out of foam shapes and pom poms. Very cute. Tomorrow is a playgroup day and we are going bowling. Should be interesting! Well, better go finish cleaning up. Yoga class is tonight! Yay for yoga class!

Runny Noses

My poor little girl did not sleep well last night. She woke up frequently due to congestion. You could tell today that she didn't get a lot of rest. This morning her nose started to run a bit and her eyes were watery. Throw in her drool and she was kind of slimy today. Poor thing. I'm not sure if it's just a cold or if teething has something to do with it too. I really do think she's teething. I know Julien probably thinks I'm nuts but I see two ridges on her bottom gums and she is drooling a lot lately. Anyway, she was a sleepy girl today. And she didn't eat a lot at one sitting but ate often. She did a little better tonight before bed. She was happy to see Daddy too as she cuddled up with him and slept on his belly. He thought she felt a little warm so he took her temp and it was 99.8. So we gave her some tylenol, put a vaporizer in her room, and got her ready for bed. Funny enough, she only cried for a few minutes, 5-10 tops, then she passed out. I don't know if the sleep training deserves the credit or the tylenol and cold does. Either way, both my kids are in bed and quiet by 9p and that's awesome!

The Ferber Method, Night 1

When Aidan was 3 1/2 months old, we used a sleep training method called the Ferber method to help him learn to fall asleep on his own in his crib. You establish a bedtime routine to follow every night and then put them in their crib to sleep. After a couple minutes they usually protest and you wait 5 minutes before going in to comfort them briefly. Then you wait 10 minutes and repeat the process, adding 5 minutes to the wait time until they fall asleep. It took Aidan 4 nights before he fell asleep with no crying at all. It was awesome and he continues to be a good sleeper and a kid who likes his bed.

Now Olivia is 3 1/2 months old. And it's time for her to sleep in her crib and learn to fall asleep on her own. So last night we started the Ferber method with her too. At first, her protest was very loud. Let's just say she was a little peeved. But, after about 30-40 minutes, she was quiet. I couldn't believe it. I peeked in on her to check and she was very close to sleep if not sleeping already. When she got up for her night feeding (which we are down to one or two, depending on the night) she went right back to sleep. So, she was up at 1a and then again at 6a then slept till 8a. I'm hoping that tonight will be as easy. Aidan cried for 1 1/2 hours his first night so I was ready for a really tough fight with Olivia. Julien and I were both surprised that it wasn't a knock down, drag out fight. Don't get me wrong, her cry at first was fierce. But it didn't last as long as Aidan's steady pitiful cry did. Either way, I'm looking forward to being able to just put her to sleep in her crib and sleeping through the night. Once that happens I think the days will go a lot smoother for us all.

Update on the Ferber Front. It's been an hour since Olivia was put to sleep. She cried off and on until about 8:40. So about 40 minutes, give or take. And there was a few periods of quiet before you would hear her fighting sleep. So I am hopeful this process will go quickly. I'll let you how it goes.

A Very Challenging Week

This week has proven to be a difficult one. Anyone who's talked to me this week or read my Facebook posts knows I've been a eensy bit stressed. It all started with the fabulous idea to go paint pottery with Aidan. So what does he do? He throws a fit getting into the car because we weren't going to school that day. So the errands I was going to run on the way to the pottery place got put on hold as I drove out of the way so Aidan could see his school. When we got to the pottery place after a lot of crying and whining, it was closed. So frustrating. So, back home we go with nothing accomplished and half the day wasted. We get out of the car to hear a strange hissing noise that after talking with my dad, seems to be the a/c condenser or the hoses for it leaking. Great. I make an appointment to take the car in on Thursday. The next day was Wednesday and Aidan's first day of preschool. Julien woke up with a sore throat and ended up at the doctor's while I took Aidan to school. Julien came home with antibiotics and strep throat. He was so sick that he was home for 2 days. Wednesday afternoon we had plans to go try the pottery place again with our friends Catie and Clarissa from playgroup. Well, Clarissa woke up with a fever and hives so once again the pottery was a no go. Which was for the best anyway since Aidan threw a huge fit leaving preschool and was tired. That night wasn't much better. In between getting up with Olivia, Aidan cried for me as he had wet the bed. So, I got him cleaned up and changed his sheets. Thursday our neighbor Mike helped me drop off the van. If the a/c condenser was the problem it would be covered under the extended service plan we bought and we could get a rental too. Great, the first thing to look up this week. I go out to find Mike and Aidan (Aidan rode with him in the truck there.) What is Aidan doing but throwing a huge fit cause he can't play in the kids' room there. Really Aidan? So, I promise some outside time and the fit subsides. I wait at home to hear about the van and take a walk with the kids. I get the call and it's not good news. It is the condenser but it looks like a rock hit it and that's not covered. Oh and that will be $870 by the way. Did you hear that thump? That was me hitting the floor. So I tell them to order the part since they don't have one but I will call back about the van. I have a complete heart attack and then call Julien. Who calls the shop and then calls our insurance. If it was road debris, that should be covered by comprehensive coverage, like a windshield. So, the adjuster will be out Tuesday, which means we have to have the car back to the shop then and we'll find out then. But they made a rental reservation for us that day which was nice of them. We'll see if we use it. So since we didn't pick up the van until Friday afternoon, I was driving the Civic. Julien would get a ride to work on Friday. Except for the fact that he didn't set his alarm right and let his cell phone die. So he woke up late and missed the call from his ride. Really Julien? So I get ready enough real quick and get the kids in the car to take him in. Lucky for him we live so close. Then back home to get ready and off to school. Where I find out that he needs a white t-shirt soon for his field trip shirt. Like ASAP. So, after leaving there I go to Target, pick one up, head home and throw it in the wash right away so it will be ready when I go to get him. 3 hours goes by quick! When I get him that afternoon, there was no fit. He was ready with his stuff and showed me what he made and his good listener award for the week. So proud of him! Talked to his teachers quick. Apparently he and the other boys like to wrestle. We'll have to work on that. Head to the post office real quick before going home and that's where he decides to have his fit. At this point I am so fed up from the week I've had I make him go in and I sit him against the wall and tell him to stay there while I mail something. I didn't care that he was crying and throwing a fit and I didn't care who saw him. I was going to get this errand done and then we were going home. I put him back in the car and went home. Now this may not sound like much to some of you. I know some people reading this have had truly difficult times lately and I'm not trying to say my problems are worse than theirs. But, it was a week of one thing going wrong and, before you could deal with that problem, another stress popped up. Add in their Olivia having a bad night or two, finding a hole in one the only pairs of jeans that fit, and the cat making noise when you're trying to sleep, and it all kind of accumulates. Now, there were moments of peace. Like Wednesday night when I started yoga class with my friend Jen. That was fun and I'm amazed I'm not more sore. And Friday night when I got to sleep and Julien got up. And Saturday, when we finally got to paint pottery with our friends like we had planned in the beginning. It was a lot of fun and Aidan did a really good job. We picked up the ones he had done a couple weeks ago with playgroup and they were really cute. So, I feel that my week has come full circle. I was able to finally accomplish the first thing that got me tripped up this week. So, I have broken the curse of the bad juju and I can move on. Here's to a good week to come!

Aidan's First Day of Preschool!

Well, finally the big day was upon us! Wednesday marked Aidan's first day of preschool at the Y. He was up, dressed and ready to go by 7:30a. We didn't need to leave until 8:30a. I had no idea he would be so motivated to go so I had plenty of time. Aidan had a hard time being patient and kept demanding we leave already. At least he was excited. So, we got ready, took our obligatory first day picture and we were off. We had a little talk in the car about how he would be there for a couple hours then Mommy would come get him. We talked about how our friend Gabi would be there today and how he could ask the teachers for help in the bathroom if he needed to. He informed me that he wasn't going to ask for help going potty because he didn't need it. I told him I thought that was great and that I knew he could do it himself. When we walked in he didn't take off his coat or backpack, he went straight to playing with the other kids. I talked to his teachers and got all the paperwork straight while he was busy. We talked about his potty skills and his thumbsucking. (I had put in the comments section of his enrollment form that I didn't want anyone pressuring him to stop because that's his way of coping.) Before I left I tried to tell him where the bathroom was and what his teacher's name was but, he was too busy digging in the sand table. So I made him give me a kiss. As I left he was off playing with something else or I didn't bother to say goodbye. I figured that he was fine and he really didn't need me too. So Olivia and took off to run errands just the two of us. Now, that was a strange feeling. And for some reason, she sleeps through whatever store you go to when a certain someone isn't distracting her. :) I really thought when I dropped Aidan off that I would get upset and cry driving away from him. I was really surprised when I didn't. I was worried about him and was hoping that he was doing ok and that he could use the bathroom all right by himself with a big toilet. But, I didn't feel that sad weepy feeling. I guess him not being upset helped me not to feel upset too. When it was time to get him, I left Olivia home with Julien. (Who was sick for two days this week with strep. I wish the people at his work would stop coming in sick and sharing germs.) When I walked in his room, he looked at me and put his thumb in his mouth. Apparently he hadn't sucked his thumb all morning. I could tell he was exhausted. The teachers said he did really well for his first day. He listened some of the time, which I was expecting to hear. But all in all, a good day. Well, I guess Aidan had so much fun that he didn't want to leave. He threw a complete fit when I tried to make him go. I had to physically drag him out in front of the other parents. How embarrassing! We had a talk tonight during bath that we weren't going to do that again. That we would say goodbye to our teachers and leave quietly. We shall see. After school we went to McDonald's where he told me all about his morning. He told me that he painted with his hands but needed help turning on the water to wash up. He said that some boy took some other girl's book. He told me that he had milk and cookies for snack. But the teacher had to turn off the lights to get their attention cause they weren't listening. Apparently this made an impression because he told me about it a couple times. I'll have to try that one at home. :) Most importantly I think he had a good time. He's excited to go back tomorrow. He has show and tell so I have to find something that starts with J for him to take. One day and he already has homework!

Aidan's soccer class is over now. He got a little metal at the end of class that he liked a lot. He did really well for 15 minutes of class and then told Daddy he was done. He sat out the rest of class. We could not for the life of us convince him to go back. So we let him sit and watch. Maybe when he's older we'll try again. Right now, he just wants to have fun and play. So that's what we'll do.

Christmas Plans

Hard to believe but, Christmas is just around the corner. It always seems to sneak up on me. This year I've been giving a lot of thought to what to do for the kids this year. Aidan has so many toys that I really don't think he needs another one, although he would surely disagree with me. And Olivia will be inheriting a lot of Aidan's old toys once she's big enough to play with them. The one thing I really would like to get them that I think they would use is a play set. I really wanted to get one this year for Aidan as he's the perfect age for it. Next year I think they both will love it. Olivia can swing at least until she's old enough to climb and explore. Julien is planning on buying a blueprint set that comes with designs and the metal hardware you need and building it himself. Should save us a bit on it which helps. Usually I get asked by family what to get Aidan for Christmas so here's my thought for this year. Honestly he doesn't need a ton of presents to open this year. Christmas gets a little out of hand in our house and I don't want him to expect this every year. So, if you really want to get him and Olivia something I would recommend books for both, dinosaur stuff for Aidan, and I guess clothes for Olivia since I'm not sure what else to get her. Otherwise I would ask that you contribute to our play set fund as I think this will be more useful over the years and it will be something they'll remember forever. Now, I understand that some people may not agree with me putting it out there like that. It's not my intention to offend anyone or tell people what to get my kids or tell them to get them something in the first place. But, if you are interested, here's what I think. Either way, I know the kids are going to have a fantastic Christmas. I'm hoping we will be able to spend time with both families but, we'll see how much time off Julien gets. Aidan will off for the holiday at preschool for about 10 days. And yes, today was the start of preschool! I will tell you all about that later. I'm about to leave to get him now. Let's just say there was no crying when I left him this morning. More on that later. If you have any ideas comments about Christmas, please feel free to leave them.

Off To Preschool We Go!

Ever since Aidan became potty trained we've been looking for a preschool for him. He's three and it's time for him to go. So, we toured a couple and I found one I really liked. It was the Montessori preschool in Oakville. It was also $300+ a month. After reviewing the budget it soon became apparent that it was going to be too expensive. As much as I really liked that school, it just wasn't feasible right now. Especially after talking to some friends and finding out how much they pay for preschool a month. So, I decided to tour the preschool at the YMCA in South County. Aidan has a friend that goes there and I knew their rate was more in our price range. (Like half the cost of the Montessori school.) After having a 30 minute conversation with the director I scheduled a tour for Friday. Their program is 9a-12p, they get to take advantage of the kid's pool, the toddler gym and bounce houses. Their teachers seemed nice and Aidan started playing as soon as we got there. He cried when we had to leave too. So I filled out all the paperwork and paid the registration fee. He starts Wednesday. I hope that this will be a good fit for him. And of course I'm a little worried because it's his first time going to school or being away from me like this. And because it wasn't my first choice, I think I'm a little more nervous. There are a few things that I'm concerned about like that they don't have little kid sized potties like the other preschools do. And that he can't bring toys from home so no Tigger, unlike the other preschools. I'm a little worried that he won't get help in the bathroom if he needs it. I guess that's normal stuff to worry about. I just want him to be successful and to have fun. But it's only 3 hours so I shouldn't worry too much. (He can hold it 3 hours anyway. Heck, he held it all the way up to Iowa last time we drove.) I think I would feel more comfortable if I was sending him to the place I felt I handpicked and thought was the best opportunity out there, not just the best for what I can afford. This is his first experience with school and structured education. I want him to get off on the right foot and to like school since this is the foundation for future learning. I'm probably over thinking this. Either way, I've told myself that if he doesn't like it or it isn't the place for him then next year we can send him to Montessori. Wish us both luck. I'm not sure who's going to need it more, him or me. :)

The Allergist Pt. 2

Tuesday I got a call from the allergist's office. They had tracked down Aidan's results. The nurse told me that his blood level was low enough that they would've done the skin test anyway. However, since he reacted to the skin test, he's still a no-go for peanuts. All that changes is that they want him to come back in 1 year to retest. They're hoping since the level was low, in their opinion, he'll "outgrow" the allergy by then. So, next year, back we go! That should be fun. Another interesting thing they found was he had a low positive for pecans and sesame seeds too. He's had both of those and never had a reaction. So, they seem to think that his body is already finding a way to adjust to those allergens and he can still have them. Hopefully the same will happen with peanuts.

This whole process has apparently made an impact on Aidan. Today he was giving the cats and I "shots" and telling us it was going to hurt "really really bad". He even told me during my "shot" not to move so much. Just like the lab tech said to him. He also told Max that he "knows it hurts. It's ok." It's so interesting to watch him process it all by acting it out and in a way where he has control over the situation. He also talked about it a bit. He mentioned the new doctor, the toys there, and that the skin test hurt although he called it a shot. I'm not looking forward to doing this again next year.

A Trip to the Allergist (or Aidan's least favorite place on Earth!)

Monday was Aidan's allergist appointment. I made Julien take the morning off to come with us. I didn't think that I could handle both kids and be able to manage Aidan at the same time. I was very glad that I made him come. We hadn't even left the house yet when Aidan started to freak out. He talked about the blue tourniquet strap that they used when they drew blood. He said that he didn't want the "blue thing" again. I tried to explain that he wouldn't get his blood drawn again and that it wasn't going to hurt. (Apparently I am not that convincing. Neither is Julien.) We talked about how they were going to feed him peanut butter and that would be the worst of it. He didn't like that idea either telling me that "it's ackey". (Boy do we have that kid trained well!) So, we had to tell him that it was ok just this once and maybe the doctor would let him have it from then on. We were hopeful anyway. Well we all got in the car and headed to the allergist. I made sure to pack heavy as I had no idea how long it would take or how bad Aidan would be. So, I took enough bottles and formula for the entire morning and toys for Aidan to play with. Julien had picked out a toy for Aidan to get after the appointment as sort of a reward. It was an Imaginex dragon with a knight. Very cool. So we get there and are taken back to the exam room. Aidan is ok when he sees there are toys in the room. (Something I like about that office.) Then the doc comes in. She tells us that they are on the phone with the lab trying to find the results to his blood work. Remember that blood work that traumatized Aidan that the office told us we had to do before the appointment. Yeah, the lab can't find it. This peeves me to say the least. So the doc said we would just do the skin test. The blood work would give her a number that I assumed has to do with the level of antibody in the blood. She said if the number was high it would tell her not to do the food challenge but if it was low she would do the skin test anyway. She did sympathize with us about losing the results after the whole drama it caused. I told her I'd like to hear the results anyway but I haven't gotten a call. So we did the skin test. At this point Daddy went to get Aidan's present and I helped Aidan with the skin test. I had no idea that he would freak out so hard about this too. He screamed that he wanted his shirt back on, he cried, he screamed, his face turned bright red. He fought Julien the entire 15 minutes. The doc even checked on him cause he was so loud. Well, when it was all said and done, he had a big reaction to the skin test. About as big as the control. The first time we did it about 18 mos ago he didn't react at all. And he hasn't had any peanuts or PB since then. So the doc determined it wouldn't be safe to do the challenge and he would officially have a peanut allergy. She gave us a prescription for another epipen and told us to come back at 5 years old to try it again. Since Aidan reacted this time around, that means Olivia has an increased chance of having the allergy too. Not a huge chance but enough that she isn't to have peanuts before 3 years old. So we left the office and decided to go to MacArthur's for donuts. We all had been through a lot that morning and donuts were definitely needed. Julien and I were both surprised that the skin test reacted so big. Julien even said to me "You were right. He really is allergic." I would've been all right with being wrong on this one. So, until the next allergist appointment (which I'm thankful isn't for 2 years, it'll take Aidan that long to recover from this one.) we continue to be a peanut-free household.

Halloween 2009

Aidan was really looking forward to trick or treating this year. He's reached that magical age where things are starting to make sense to him and that makes holidays even more fun. He loved his costume this year. He was a dragon with wings and all. He practiced his roar and flapping his wings. So when it was dark enough, we got both kids dressed and out we went. I thought we would go just up our street. But, all the kids in the circle came out at the same time and we decided to all go together. So we went up and down the street then further into the subdivision, and down two more streets. Aidan was such a trooper. Of course he and Lana stuck together. Not only cause they are best buds but being the littlest they kind of slowly bring up the rear. Olivia came with in her ladybug bunting costume and got a ride in the stroller. She only made it one street as it got a little too cold for her. Aidan kept on, opening his bag and saying "trick or treat" like a pro. After two streets we decided to head back while the bigger kids went further up the neighborhood. By the time we got back to the circle, they had already lit the fire pit and were drinking coffee. (It was a little chilly last night.) Aidan ran around the circle and chased the other kids. Every time a trick or treater came he would stop and come and see. Eventually, we had to put a coat and gloves on him it got cold enough. Olivia went inside to sleep and actually slept awhile without us. We had hot chocolate, marshmallows, hot dogs, wine. We gave away a lot of candy. We went through an entire 6 pound bag with less than 12 pieces left. We hung out with the neighbors and had a great time. Aidan stayed up way past his bedtime and was tired. In fact, he went to nap early today and crashed. It was a lot of fun and we can't wait to do it again next year.

My Poor Little Guy

Today Julien called me all frantic and told me that the allergist's office had left a message on his phone. Apparently Aidan needed some blood work done before his appointment on Monday. Suddenly I remembered that I forgot to update our info with the nurse when I scheduled his appointment. But then again, the nurse never asked. So, after calling the office I was told that Aidan needed blood drawn either today or tomorrow in order for the results to be done by Monday. I decided I would just take him today and get it over with. I was not looking forward to this at all. Not to mention I had just put him down for nap. Mistake number one was trying to explain to him what we were doing before I got him in the car. I told him that I needed him to be brave and that they were going to pinch him a little. He freaked out at that. Mistake number two was not having Julien go too. We got there and Aidan was fine with being in the lab. I put him in my lap and another nurse helped to hold him. The lab tech stuck him and he flipped out!!! He wiggled him arm and the needle came out and poked him again. The lab tech asked if I wanted to come back tomorrow and try again. I told her that this needed to get done in time for the appointment and I don't think we were going to have any better luck next time. So we layed him on a exam table and I laid across his chest while the nurse and another tech held him and the first tech tried to take his blood. He cried and screamed and told me they were going to hurt him. It was awful. And oh my did he fight. The entire time. The tech couldn't keep his elbow flat and he wouldn't quit moving. So they got a little bit of blood and called it. We obviously weren't getting anymore out of him and he was terrified. Aidan got a band aid and some stickers and we went home. I set him up on the couch with a pillow and blanket and we watched some Mighty Machines and ate cookies. I felt him had more than earned it. Eventually he let me put an ice pack on his arm. Poor guy, he kept talking about his boo boo. I really hope we don't have to do that anytime soon. They better be able to use what they got from him because I don't think he'll be willing to try again on Monday.

The Kids' Photoshoot!

What a busy weekend! It took both days to prepare for the photographer to come. You might remember that last March, Julien and I went to trivia night with some friends. While we were there I ended up winning a silent auction package that included a mural for Olivia's room and a professional photo package. We finally got around to scheduling and using it. I was so excited to get Olivia's pictures done and to get pictures of the kids together. And best of all, he came out to the house to do them! Let me tell you how much easier that made things. So, Saturday was spent at the mall looking for coordinating outfits. I ended up at Gymboree, which is an incredibly dangerous place for me to go, and found some really cute stuff. I wanted them to look dressy so they also satisfy Christmas pictures and the Christmas card pic if I don't get around to scheduling a family photo. So, I found red and black outfits. Aidan had an argyle sweater and matching socks. And he loved his black dress shoes and the sound they make. He was constantly taking them off and putting them on by himself. Olivia had the cutest black dress with a red bow and a red turtleneck under. I had to hunt for tights for her. I thought I would be able to just go to Target and get black tights but I was wrong. Gymboree didn't have them in her size. I've learned that I need just to go to Children's Place for that kind of stuff. They had every color and size and they were on sale. Add a red headband and some black shoes that were handed down to us and she was adorable. I didn't get any pics of her in her outfit before the photographer came but I did get a couple of Aidan. The photographer did a great job with the kids, especially considering he doesn't have kids himself, just nephews. But I guess you do the job long enough and you get used to whatever kids can throw your way. Aidan wasn't really into the whole picture thing at first and was a little shy. In the end, we used Aidan's little "girlfriend" Lana to get him to pose. We told him that "oh she'd really like that one" or "Lana will think that's so cute" and it worked! Lana had left Aidan a little card in the mailbox the other day and we even used that in some of the pictures. Her parents thought that was so funny. Olivia wasn't as hard to get to pose. :) She actually did really well and smiled a lot. We got some of her on her tummy and now that she's rolling we had to add extra pillows around her. She kept rolling onto her back while we were trying to take the picture. Too funny! In the end, it took less than an hour. The photographer had lighting and a backdrop and was very professional. And on time which is such a big thing to me! I'm really looking forward to getting the proofs in about a week to two weeks. And we get to keep the proofs as part of the package! Awesome! I can't wait to share them with everyone.

Olivia's Newest Milestone

Well, I think we've recovered from our trip to Iowa. Although I think it reinforced Olivia's dislike of the car. (It may be a long year before she gets to turn around and face forward.) As soon as we were home it was off to the races as normal. Off to soccer, where Aidan seems to be listening less and less each time we go. I think we have come to the conclusion that we will go back to soccer if he wants to when he's older and ready. Sunday was laundry and cleaning and trying to catch up while exhausted. This week has been more go-go-go. We managed to accomplish this week getting the Civic inspected and re-registered, going to playgroup, getting Aidan's physical form completed for preschool, going to the post office, and I even read a book.(I know, don't be shocked. When Olivia wants to be held while napping I figured I should make good use of the time. I read Breakfast at Tiffany's this week.) Also this week I was able to schedule with the photographer who is coming out to take the kids' pictures. I won this photo package way back when I won the mural in Olivia's room. I'm excited about this. They will be Olivia's first pictures. And the photographer is bringing backgrounds and we don't have to deal with going somewhere to have them done. I still have to get their outfits, which I better hurry up and do as we're scheduled for Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping that next month we will be able to do a family portrait and Christmas card. We're not doing it this weekend because we only get so much for free and I'm not sure what this guys prices are. And I know of a place here where I can get 40 pics of one pose for $10. That's definitely in my price range. :)

We also had an exciting thing happen today. Not only did Olivia turn 12 weeks old today but she rolled over for the first time! We were playing on the floor and I noticed she's close to rolling from back to tummy. I thought she might be able to make the other way around so I turned her over and got the camera, just in case. Sure enough, two minutes later, she got herself all the way over! And I was able to video tape it on my camera. I actually have Aidan's first rollover on video too. How cool is that? I love being home and seeing all the firsts. It's amazing how quickly Olivia is growing and changing. She's incredibly strong. When we sit together, she tries to pull herself up to a sitting position. She has abs of steel! :) It won't be long until she's sitting up and then crawling. I know the time will fly by even faster than it did with Aidan. Hopefully that means sleeping through the night is around the corner too. (No, she still isn't doing that.)

Tomorrow we're off to playgroup to paint pottery. Should be fun!

Meeting the Family

Last week the kids and I ventured to Iowa to see my family. Big thanks to my in laws for riding up with me. They had come down for the weekend. We even got a night free to go out with our friends the Walters for a double date. We got to go out to dinner and see comedian Dave Attell. It was so much fun. I hope we get to do that again. At the end of the weekend, Gina and Tim drove up with me. It was so much easier to be able to ride in the back with Olivia. She actually did pretty good as long as she could see me and as long as I could give her back her pacifier and help her back to sleep. She has such a hard time staying asleep. When we got to Grandma's, my nieces Ashley and Michele were there. It was so good to see them. It had been a long time. Aidan instantly loved them, Ashley in particular. Michele loves babies and was inseparable from Olivia. It was kind of strange to see her hold and feed Olivia since Michele was the first diaper I ever changed 15 years ago. We had so much fun together during their time in Iowa. And I always enjoy spending time with Julie and I don't get to do that very often. After their visit, Aidan got to spend time with Sophie, Emma, and Sarah. It's neat how the older she gets the more Aidan will include her in his play. This time they played tag together and Aidan was very gentle with her. It was so cute. Although Sarah wasn't sure what to make of her mommy holding Olivia. I think there was a little jealousy as she climbed up in her mommy's lap while she was trying to see Olivia. It's hard not to be the baby in the family anymore. ;) Something else I noticed this trip was how much my niece Emma has grown. She's almost a teenager now and boy does she look like it. I don't know who gave all these kids the idea that they could grow up but it wasn't me. It makes me feel old. Liz will be 18, Ashley will be 17, Michele is 15 and now Emma is 11 1/2. It's only a matter of time before I say the same thing about my own kids. I can't hardly believe that Olivia is 11 weeks old now. She's smiling all the time and cooing. She had a 5 minute conversation with my mom. Apparently she had a lot to tell Grandma about. Of course she won't do that for me. While we were at my parents, Olivia got to meet her Great Grandma too. My grandmother and great aunt came down to visit. We were able to get a 4 generations picture with Aidan and Olivia in it. And I was able to get some pics of Ashley and Michele with their great grandma too. It was such a great trip and it was wonderful to see everyone and have everyone meet Olivia. Of course that meant the trip home would be terrible. Aidan was great on the ride home. He always is. This time I had a DVD player for him and he watched movies the whole way home which helped him tune out Olivia. As for her, she cried for 40 minutes before falling asleep. She did nap for a little over an hour. We had to stop for an hour for lunch for all of us, potty break (which Aidan refused to go and held it the whole way home), and gas. After that, it was a lot of crying and a little sleep here and there for her. Then, I decided to take the back way home when I got to St. Louis to avoid rush hour on the beltway and it backfired. It added 30 minutes to my trip. So that and the crying and my own fatigue really wore on me. By the time I got home I had to warn Julien that anything he said for the following hour would just be wrong and to expect me to be pissy. After an hour I calmed down a bit and was able to relax. Boy was I tired and enjoyed a full night of sleep. Now if I could just get Olivia to do the same thing. It was a great trip but I think we'll wait a while before we do it again.

One Step Closer to Preschool

Exciting stuff happening this week. First there's the 1am wake up I got from Aidan cause he had to go potty. I was more than happy to get up and help him. I was just shocked he woke up. It was kind of convenient timing too because Olivia woke up for a feeding as soon as I was done with Aidan. Then, last night Olivia went 6 hours between feedings. She did wake up briefly at 2:30a but went back to sleep after a diaper change. Then after she ate at 4:45a she went back to sleep til 7:30a. It was heaven. Now if she had skipped the diaper change, it would have been perfection. :) I wish that could become the norm. Then today she was actually pretty calm in the car, including falling asleep in the car. I think the patron saint of babies who scream in the car was looking out for me this afternoon. Yesterday the patron saint of lost keys was there for me at Costco when I about had a panic attack when I realized my keys were gone. Someone had already turned them into customer service. (I think I cashed in some of my karma this week.)

The most exciting thing this week was touring preschools with Aidan. We went to tour the Montessori preschool and La Petit. Having given those kinds of tours when I worked at Busy Bee, it was odd to be on the other side of that situation. Although very helpful in knowing what exactly to ask. Aidan liked going to visit too. At the Montessori school, he walked away from me almost immediately and started playing and talking to the kids. And one of the teachers engaged him right away too, which impressed me. Then he sat with them for story time as I toured the rest of the building and didn't realize I was gone. I think he's going to adjust just fine. So, after touring them and talking with Julien we've decided to send Aidan to the Montessori Preschool. I think it's a better fit for him. I think they'll be more supportive of his learning style. I certainly think he's a kinetic learner. Next week I'll call and talk about when we can enroll him and what days he'll attend. Lots happening this coming week too. We have Nana and Grandpa visiting. We have a trip to Iowa and my folks get to meet Olivia finally. We are going to see a lot of my family this week. And of course, soccer continues on next weekend. We're going to busy and very tired by the time it's all over. But, hey, that's the norm around here.

3 year and 2 month Stats

So, we had our pediatrician appointments Monday morning. Luckily Julien was able to meet us there as both kids got shots. I know he's really busy at work so I appreciated that he was able to skip out for a couple hours. Of course the day he needs to get back to work at a decent time is the day that the nurse is out. Which means that the docs were doing everything from getting weights and giving shots. So they were behind of course. Luckily, only 15 minutes behind though. (I love that at our office 15 minutes behind is unusual!) Olivia went first. She is now 12 lbs 3 oz and 22 1/2". That's 75% for weight and 50-75% for height. She's gained 2 more pounds and another half inch in a month. She's growing so fast! The doctor was pleased with her progress overall. I told her about the fussiness and gas. She think that just may be the way she is. (She said she may be high maintenance. I think that's pretty true. :) ) She did recommended elevating one end of her mattress a little to help her sleep at night. She didn't think she had reflux although she said it's possible. Either way it's not enough to concern her. She got two shots, no flu shots though as she is too young. She may get one at the end of the flu season when she's old enough. Aidan was 34.8 pounds and 39 1/2". That's 75% weight and 90% height. Boy did he shoot up this year! I swear he was 35" maybe 36" last year. That's a big jump. But that's my bean pole. :) He did such a good job during the exam. He even sat still long enough to have his hearing checked. And he was very brave about his flu shot. First he cried it hurt him and then when he saw the band aid, he immediately wanted to show his friends. So funny! He got a bag of goldfish crackers and two stickers for being so good. We talked about the swine flu shot. They didn't have them in yet but she recommended getting it for him. She said that they expect a lull in swine flu cases that would be followed by the onset of flu A and B cases. So, just getting one shot would leave him vulnerable for the other half of the flu season. So, when they come in, we will return for him to get the other shot. That's another shot Olivia is too young for. The doc was happy about his potty training. It was nice not to have to ask her for advice and have to say "no he isn't yet" when she asked. She said it was time for him to go back to the allergist and to see the dentist. Luckily it's open enrollment time at work for Julien so he can add him to our dental plan. Now it's time for him to get ready for preschool. She actually asked if he's in a preschool program yet. She said he's more than ready from what we could report on his social skills and his academic skills. So, today I called two preschools in the area and have scheduled an appointment to go see them. I'm a little sad about it actually. When did my baby grow up? How can it be that he's potty trained and old enough for school? There were times when I thought this day would never come and look, now it's here! So I'll look at La Petit and a Montessori school this week and go from there. I may go see the preschool at the Y too. He has a friend in that preschool. They only have half day programs where the other two have full day. I'm trying to decide whether to do two full days or three half days. And then we have to figure out how to pay for it. :-S I'm sure we'll find some money somewhere. After the medical bills get their share and we finish paying off Julien's school bill. Ah, lovely. Just another fun part of being an adult. I have a feeling next year will be cheaper! LOL!! I can hope anyway. :)

Baby News and Soccer Update

Things have felt very busy lately. There never seems to be enough time and it feels like everything needs my attention all at once. We've had some mad dashes to get the house clean. First, for Julien's aunt and uncle from the Quad Cities then for a friend in from DC that Julien used to work with. Although it's a lot of work, I can't have people over and the house be a mess and it helps me keep up with the house anyway. Olivia has gone back to sleeping in her swing. She wasn't sleeping well in the crib and seems to do better sitting up more. She gets congested at night, or at least that's what it sounds like. She would constantly wake up and it was getting a little old for me. So I tried her in her swing again and it worked. So, I've been in the living room with her as I refuse to take the swing up and down the stairs all the time. So far she'll do up to a 6 hour stretch between feedings and sleep up to 5 hours. She has one good stretch and then is up usually 3 hours later and then a little bit after that she's up for the day. She is the early riser I feared she'd be. Usually up at 6a although I can cuddle with her and convince her to sleep a little bit longer sometimes. I am not a morning person at all. I have no idea where she gets this early morning thing from. She's eating more at a time, up to 5 oz. She still has those times where she doesn't eat much and she eats more often. She has a horrible time getting to and staying asleep. And I still have to be careful laying her flat after eating or she spits up. She still fusses more than Aidan did. Although the sleeping at night seems to be helping some. But there's a two hour period from about 5-7p where she just fusses. It's her witching hour I guess. On the positive side, we are getting a lot more smiles from her. She can smile so big! It's so cute. Aidan has a flat smile like Daddy. Livvie has a big smile, more like mine. She also has started cooing which is equally cute. We have little talks. It's fun. She's starting to reach for toys above her when she lays on her back. I'm still having problems getting her to track an object past the midline. I think that will come with time though. She's getting big! She's too long for some 0-3mos stuff and into some of her 3-6 mos stuff. Aidan was 6 weeks when he moved into 3-6 mos clothes so she's not as big for sure. But I see more chub in her cheeks lately. And her head is big enough to wear headbands and not have them fall off. She looks so cute in them.

Aidan had soccer again today. Apparently all the kids took their hyper pills before class as they all had problems listening. In their defense, their normal coach wasn't there today. He still had fun even though half the time Daddy was trying to get him to listen. (I guess that really wouldn't effect his fun though would it?) He did really well at Red light Green light today. We practiced that one. :) And the big accomplishment was that Aidan was in underwear during soccer today. And no accidents! Yay! I took a little video today. I'm going to try to get some better ones next week. Tim and Gina will be here. I'm sure they will get a big kick out of watching Aidan at soccer too. So, enjoy the video.

Happy Birthday Aidan!

Aidan had a great birthday this year. We had a few of his playgroup friends over in the morning. My neighbor had decorated some cupcakes for me. They turned out really cute. Aidan couldn't wait to eat them. So, he and his friends played and had lunch. We all sang to him and he blew out his candle. After filling the kids full of sugar, we opened presents and played some more. Later that day, we had dinner with our friends Mike and Jen. They got him a soccer ball and net. He loves them!



















In fact he had soccer again this morning. He joined in right away this time. Although at one point, he told Julien, "Daddy I feel shy." Julien had to ask him to repeat himself cause he couldn't believe that Aidan had said that. How many three year olds do you know that know when they feel shy and will tell you? So, Julien told him that it was ok and that they could just watch till he felt better. A couple minutes later they joined the class again. (I got there late with Olivia so I missed this.) But, I saw him do all the drills and listen to the coach. Much better job than last time. And they got their class shirts today. He was so excited to put it on. I think soccer class was a good idea. He's really enjoying himself. Next time I'm going to take some video of him at class.

Fussy Baby

As wonderful as Saturday was, Sunday was horrible. Saturday night was rough for Olivia. She had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. It made for a long night. Then Sunday was a fussy day. She's had fussy days before. But this was the worst! If she was awake, she was fussing and crying. As soon as she was asleep she would wake up again, even if you held her. She's never been a big napper, not like Aidan was. Aidan would sleep for hours if you would hold him at this age. Olivia will sleep maybe an hour and then is up again. It's so interesting how different they are. Aidan was very predictable. His eating and sleeping patterns were that, patterns. She is so inconsistent. She'll have a couple good days and then a bad one. She'll be fussy and not eat or sleep well, then she'll have a day of good eating and be in a good mood. She'll sleep a four hour stretch one night and the next, only do 2-3 hrs. tops. And what you do one day will work completely differently the next day. The only thing that seems to be the same is that she seems to naturally wake up around 5-6a. (Although you can get her to go back to sleep for a little while.) I think she may be an early riser. Aidan will sleep until 7-7:30a normally, and every now and then 8am. Not Olivia. Both kids go to the pediatrician in two weeks and I think we may have to talk about her fussiness again. The doc was concerned there may be some acid reflux going on. I'm starting to think she may be right after yesterday. Olivia was sooo gassy and unhappy. Eventually last night Julien sat her up and kept burping her for about 30 minutes. She burped twice really big and spit up and after that, she seemed to be happy and fell asleep. She did better over night and today was been pretty good. In fact while I was making her a morning bottle, she looked up at me and gave me a big smile. (She has started smiling here and there. Usually for Daddy. ) I can only hope tomorrow is a good day too.

Soccer Practice and Apple Picking!

Today was Aidan's first day of soccer! He talked all morning about how he was going to kick the ball and listen to the coach. Ok, I was telling him he needed to listen to the coach. We planned a trip to Eckert's for apple picking after wards, so all of us piled in the car. Julien was complaining that we were too early but, when we walked in, there was a ton of people there already. Classes are held on an indoor soccer field at a place called Vetta. As we got there, the first class of the morning was finishing and we spotted our friend from playgroup who goes too. Julien and Aidan got his name tag and found out who his coach was while I talked with my friend and watched her boy. Aidan's coach is Coach David. (that should be easy to remember.) He was so excited to get on the field. I stayed on the sideline with Olivia, talking with another mom, while Julien helped Aidan. (This is a parent/child class. We're not ready for an individual class.) The first 5-10 minutes were a little rough. I could see Julien getting frustrated as Aidan refused to participate. He wanted to kick the ball. Then he wanted to sit with the ball and watch everyone else do the warm up exercises. I tried to tell Daddy that this was normal for Aidan. (Remember gymnastics??) And he may need a couple sessions to get used to it. I'm not sure what happened, if the coach got him motivated or they got to the fun part or what, but Aidan started participating! The coach was pretty good about trying to get the kids to stay on task and very friendly. He definitely earned his money today- ten 2-3 year olds for 45 minutes. Oh boy! They held the ball against the wall with their heads, they kicked it at the wall, threw it against the wall. They had to set cones back up with their feet and not their hands. They jumped in hoops. They did a little red light/green light drill with running the field. At the end they get together in a huddle, put their hands in and yell "I like soccer!" All in all, very cute! I told Aidan I thought he did a good job and I was proud. You could tell he was pretty happy with himself. And it wore him out too. So, this week we need to practice what we learned and talk about listening to Coach David. I hope next week we'll jump right in and participate from the get go. I think he's really going to like this class.

After soccer and a quick bottle for Olivia, we headed off to Eckert's for lunch and apple picking. Lunch was great and the wait to be seated was short. Although, it was enough time for Olivia to spit up all over her shirt and get changed, take Aidan to the bathroom and have him tell me the big potty was scary and for Livvie to get fussy. *Sigh* Once we were done with lunch, things settled down and we had a good time. Olivia slept in the baby bjorn and Aidan was excited to ride out to the trees in the hay wagon. (We talked about how cool the John Deere tractors were. :) ) Once we got out there, Aidan was all about picking apples. We had watched the Caillou where he goes to the apple orchard with his class before we left the house, so we talked about how Caillou picked the apples off the tree and not off the ground. We got a bunch of golden delicious, some red delicious, and some jonathans. You know as much fun as it was, it was a lot of waiting in line. We waited in line to get on the wagon to go out to the orchard, waited to get a ride back, and waited to pay for our apples when we got back. Much to their credit, the lines moved very fast though. I guess I was hoping for a less commercial experience. After apple picking, we tried to get Aidan to ride some of the rides they had. They had bounce houses, swings and pony rides. He didn't want to do any of that. He wanted to play in the big sandbox they had, of course. We decided at that point we could do that at home and we could go now. Aidan was terribly upset by this but once we got moving in the car, he dropped the protest and promptly fell asleep. By the time we got home, we were all exhausted. It was a fun day but long. We are planning on going to the airshow at Scott AFB tomorrow however, the weather may ruin our plans. If it rains like they say it will, we'll stay home. Maybe that's a good thing after how busy today was.

On the potty training front, Aidan continues to do well. He refused to use the big potty while we were out and didn't even want to use the travel potty I take in the car but, he was dry when we got home. I think he holds it so he can go in his own potty. Now the challenge is to get him to stop using the little potty and use the big one. One step at a time.

Family Update: Conquering Potty Training, Growing Babies, and Adult Time.

My little guy has done so well this past week. Only one pee accident last week! We've graduated to wearing undies at nap time and outside to play. He even told me he had to go potty in the middle of playgroup at someone else's house. I was impressed. I think he's really getting it. Today he wore undies away from the house for the first time during our grocery shopping trip. I'm so excited! I haven't changed a diaper for him in two weeks. He wears pull ups but I count those as separate. :) And those stay dry most of the time anyway. So, I think we'll soon be looking at preschools and talking about starting him. There are three that I want to check out. It's exciting to think about and kind of sad at the same time. It will be weird to be away from him like that. But, it will be a little while longer before I have to worry about it.

Olivia is doing well. She's a little fussy here and there. Boy can she get fussy when she's tired. Aidan wasn't like that. She's a slow eater too which is nothing like Aidan was as well. She is definitely her own personality. She went almost 5 hours between feedings last night from 8:30p-1:15a or so. Then she slept until 5/5:30a. So, slowly she is getting there. Although, she may end up being an early riser. She has a hard time going back to sleep after her 5/5:30a feedings. I'm hoping she grows out of that. She's getting bigger every day. I've noticed her outfits are getting shorter. She lifts her head during tummy time. She getting more control of her neck. She not a fan of the car yet. She'll scream for a while before going to sleep when we're driving. Aidan always asks, "Why is she crying? Why is she loud?" Very funny.

We left both kids with our very brave neighbors last night so we could go to dinner together. Our neighbors have a 8 mo old so I imagine having 3 under 3 in one house was very exciting. They said it went well and all the kids were good. We certainly appreciated the chance to get out of the house and have adult conversation for a while.

Saturday, we were able to go see where Julien works for Family Day. This was the first time I've been able to see his office in 7 years. The last time was right after we were married and he didn't have his clearance yet. There were lots of areas roped off with caution tape. But we got to see his desk. We went to the park and then off to lunch afterwards. So all in all, a busy weekend. Well, Olivia is stirring and probably ready to eat again. Aidan will be up soon from nap as well. Quiet moments don't last long around here.

Another Potty Training Update

Aidan's been doing a great job this weekend with his potty training. In fact, he peed in the potty chair and emptied it into the toilet and flushed without Daddy noticing. Very funny! So I think he's got peeing down while he's in the house. Now, while he's outside and out running errands is another story. He's been doing ok outside. We remind him often and make him come in every now and then to try. But so far, he won't tell us when he has to go. He doesn't want to miss out on the fun. I'm open to all tips on how to handle going out and going outside. So far, we use a pullup which we call "training pants." He told me you can do whatever you want in a diaper and not use the potty so we make a distinction between the two to encourage him not to go in the pullup. It works pretty well so far. He gets up from nap dry for the most part. (We've tried nap in undies too with ok results.) But, eventually I want him to get used to undies all the time. I'm a little nervous about having him in the car with undies on too. I can only imagine cleaning up an accident in the car seat. Ugh. So, any tips are welcome! We've changed how we award potty presents too. He has poop in the potty or not have a pee accident all day. He still gets to put a sticker on his potty chart when he pees in the potty but no more presents. Maybe if he goes potty while out and about or coming in from outside. He doesn't really get fruit snacks anymore. I'm hoping in about a month he'll have peeing down pat and we'll have made good progress on pooping. Then I can start looking at preschools for him. At first that thought was really exciting. Then the more I thought about it, I started feeling sad and a little anxious for him. That's a big change. When the time comes I'm sure he'll be fine and I'll be the one having the hard time.

We've returned to playgroup, I'm happy to say. We went to our first one since Olivia was born. It was nice to get out and see friends again. Aidan loved playing with the kids although, he needed a little talk about sharing a garbage truck toy. It's interesting getting two kids out the door. I'm going to have to start a little sooner than I used to, that's for sure. ) But, it's good to get some practice. And play dates at some one's house is a nice, less stressful way to start.

Olivia is still growing like a weed. I swear she feels heavier than yesterday. She didn't sleep well last night which means I didn't sleep well either. She was wide awake at 3am. I took about an hour to get her to fall asleep again. Then she was up at 6:30a. So after a lot of fussing, we went downstairs. I slept on the couch and she slept in the swing. Julien keeps saying how he can't wait till we can use the Ferber method to teach her to fall asleep on her own. We did it with Aidan at 3 1/2 mos and it worked great! I keep thinking another 6-8 weeks. Then maybe I can get some sleep too or get something done around the house as she still likes to be held while she naps. Which is part of her problem with getting back to sleep. I know I shouldn't wish her life away but, it'll be nice when she sleeps at night and takes naps in her crib. Right now, I'd settle for a smile,which should be coming soon. Oh well, lots coming up. Playdates, doctor appointments, family visits. Should be fun.