The MOB

The Lactation Saga

2012-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

I always knew I wanted nurse my little ones, but I will admit that I was a little nervous about the whole endeavor before embarking on the nursing journey with Ollie. Luckily, Ollie and Henry are both champion nursers, which has been a huge relief.

With Ollie, I was at-home with him until he was about nine months old before I got a part-time lawyering gig. Working part-time = pumping part-time. However, Ollie would never take a bottle, so we were forced to transition him to a sippy cup pretty early. He did pretty well with the sippy cup and I continued pumping and nursing him until he was about 14 months old. He pretty much weaned himself at that point. I am sure I could have kept nursing him, but he did not seem upset in the slightest at the end of our nursing relationship. We gradually dropped feedings and transitioned away nursing at bedtime. I always had a more than ample milk supply and I never had any issues pumping. My original goal was to nurse for at least a year and I was certainly ready to have my body back at that point, so I wasn't really sad about ending our nursing relationship either.

With Henry, I started transitioning back to part-time work when he was 5 1/2 months old. He takes a bottle no-problem, so that has made working and nursing a lot less stressful. However, my milk supply is not as ample as it was last time. I don't know what the difference is (besides going back to work earlier/working more and losing pregnancy weight sooner) but my freezer stash of breast milk is starting to seriously dwindle, which stresses me out. He is currently consuming about 16 oz of milk while I am at work and I am only averaging about 12 oz via pumping three times a day at work. It is so frustrating to only pump 3-4 oz total in one pumping session, when I used to (with Ollie) pump 5 plus ounces on each side in one sitting. Plus, it takes me a lot longer to pump this time around. With Ollie, I once pumped almost 8 oz on one side in one sitting - no lie! I had porn boobs (sorry, Grandma). It was a little freakish.

I haven't given up yet, but the thoughts about having to supplement with formula have certainly crossed my mind. For some reason the thought of feeding my baby formula just freaks me out and I don't really know why. I have plenty of friends who formula fed their babies and they obviously turned out just fine. In fact, I was formula fed from about 4 months on - something I didn't know until recently. Maybe it is more the fact that this is most likely my last baby and thus my last nursing relationship and that makes me reluctant to supplement with formula, which in my mind marks the beginning of the weaning process, even if I continued to nurse and pump (holy run-on sentence, batman).

Henry is now almost 9.5 months, so we are only a few months away from being able to introduce cow's milk, which will certainly help matters. He is also starting to eat a little more solid food, although the caloric intake from solids is pretty minimal. For now I am just going to continue trudging or pumping on. I am downing water like a mad-woman, drinking Mother's Milk tea, taking a nursing supplement, trying to eat plenty of calories (this is a struggle for me with running, exercising, and working - when stressed I tend to forget to eat), and trying to fit extra pumping sessions in on my days off work (oh joy!). I am determined to at least get to the one year mark with Henry without any damn formula, but if I can't make it happen and the kid has to have a little formula for a couple months it won't be the end of the world. Right?

2012

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

This is my motto for 2012. I might even have to order a print. With two kiddos, working 30 hours a week, a husband, a house (and yard), chickens, and a cat, I feel pretty overwhelmed most of the time. I have meager patience on a good day, so add in a bit a stress and a whiny three year old and I pretty much lose my cool. Repeatedly. Thus making "Keep Calm and Carry On" my new motto.

In order to embody my motto and all it entails, I will be making a concerted effort to be less snippy, to not raise my voice (as much), to swear less (at least in earshot of the mini people), and lastly, focus on what I have accomplished, not the forever long to-do list that can bog me down from time to time.

I will make every effort to use my "calm and caring" voice (as I often tell Ollie - gee I wonder where he gets it from) and keep my temper in check - even if it takes every fiber of my being, which it will seeing as I have a three year old and a sassy one at that. You hear that temper, you have been officially checked.

Also on the non-resolution goal list? Exercise more (I got a kettle ball for Christmas - woot!), eat more veggies, eat less meat (2-3 vegetarian dinners a week), order prints and actually frame them, run a 1/2 marathon, run a full marathon, and buy a mini-van. Yeah, that's right. Come Summer/Fall 2012, I will be rocking a mom-mobile.

Gamble Ranch 2011/2012

2012-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

The week after Christmas, my entire immediate family got together at our family's cattle ranch for a little family reunion of sorts. The cast of players included:

My Dad (Papa Joe), his wife Xiaoying and their two kids and my brother and sister: Kyle and Samantha (11 yrs)
Me, Mylo, Ollie and Henry
My brother Matt, his wife Mary and their two kids: Emma (5 yrs) and Logan (4 yrs)
My brother Danny and his girlfriend, Jessica
My Mom (Grandma Sally)

It was a rowdy, fun week and I think we are going to make it an every other year tradition of getting together as an entire family. We spent the first two days at Park City (I have no pictures), which had a mere 18 inches of base. We only skied one day because of the meager snow, but Mylo and I had a great time skiing all afternoon, just the two of us while my mom graciously watched the boys back at the hotel. Day two in Park City was spent swimming at the hotel pool and sledding at the tube park, which was way more fun than skiing. Ollie loved it and I actually got to tube with Ollie most of the time because Henry was happily napping in the ERGO, worn by my non-sledding brother Danny.

After that we headed to the Gamble Ranch. Ollie looooved his cousin time. He doesn't have any first cousins locally yet, so he was absolutely in heaven having cousins to run around with. He kept saying to Emma and Logan, "Cousins, do you want to do "x?", "Cousins, do you want a snack?" It was pretty adorable.

Ollie and Logan checking out the Grandfather clock.

My Dad had the cabin (ahem, lodge) all decked out with Christmas charm and we each got a small gift from my Dad and Xiaoying. Ollie got a John Deere tractor, Henry a little Ferrari, Mylo some nice metal measuring cups/spoons, and I got some new running tights.

Samantha, Emma and Ollie waiting to open presents.

Gift opening chaos

We spent time riding quads and snowmobiles, climbing on tractors, driving tractors, and exploring the Ranch. Although there was 6-8 inches of snow on the ground, it wasn't too terribly cold (30-40's), except for one day when it was a whopping 15 degrees.

Ollie "driving" a broken down tractor - every Ranch needs as least one broken down tractor.

Ollie and his new tractor

The bundled up version of Henry

Is there anything sexier than your man man wearing a baby, namely your baby?

I think not.

The new tractor - the real version.

Papa Joe and his new tractor and the Grandsons with their new tractors.

We also had to love on the horses. We brought them apples, carrots, and mushy pears. Then we wrangled them up to do a little bit of riding - another Ranch trip must.

Petting Rio

Feeding the horses goodies.

Riding Mordock with Samantha (on Rio)

Papa Joe also took us all on a tour of the Ranch in the pick-up truck (the hick version of a sleigh ride). It was supposed to take an hour and half, until we got the truck stuck in a frozen creek on the other side of the 3000 acre ranch.

Ooops.

The men getting the truck unstuck. To their credit, it only took about 25 minutes.

What did we do in the meantime....

Played around on the solidly frozen creek, of course.

Ollie was having a ball scooting around on his bum.

After we were unstuck, we continued our "tour," which fortunately was rather uneventful.

Ollie and Logan checking out the scenery.

On the coldest day we were there (15 degrees not counting the windchill factor), everyone headed out to feed the cows in the morning and move them to a new pasture. Since it was absolutely freezing and windy, Henry and I opted to stay at the warm cabin.

This is how you dress when you are going to feed the cows in 15 degree weather.

Don't forget your cowboy hat.

The cows - Black Angus, of course.

The feeding crew.

We also played a whole lot of Dance Central on the X-Box 360 Kinect - quite possibly the most fun I have ever had. My abs and arms were sore from busting a move. Jessica and Samantha were my two major competitors, but we three pretty much dominated the family dance session.

We had a great time catching up with everyone. We ate too much, played too hard, and slept too little. Now we need a vacation to recover from our vacation.

Christmas Festivities

2012-01-05T19:33:00.001-08:00

We are lucky to have both Mylo's Dad and Stepmom and his Mom living in town, which makes the whole sharing Christmas with the in-laws a lot easier when you have divorced and blended families. Additionally, my mom was able to be in town and join in all the Allen family festivities.

PART I - We kicked off our Christmas Festivities on Christmas Eve morning with brunch and gifts at Mylo's Dad & Stepmom's house with Uncle Jesse and Uncle Andrew. We do a gift exchange with this side of the family amongst the adults and Grandpa Blago and Grandma Kristi do stockings for everyone. We made cinnamon rolls to contribute to the brunch and ate a ton of food - egg bake, sausage, and of course cinnamon rolls.

The loot under the Christmas tree.

Ollie was the official stocking elf. Can you believe how grown up he looks?

Henry took a header into the concrete floors early on, but he recovered enough to play with and demolish a couple candy canes.

After opening gifts, I opted to run home from Blago and Kristi's house, which off of Chuckanut Drive. The rain and wind subsided enough for me to have a lovely run on the interurban trail, through Arroyo Park, and up the hill to our house. It was a little over 6 miles and might have been the best gift I got - an hour of peace and running by myself.

Part II - On Christmas Eve proper, Mylo's entire extended family from his Dad's side of the family gets together for a potluck dinner, a visit from "Santa," and lots catching up with the family. Ollie was loving his cousin time (2nd cousins - no local 1st cousins yet) and was running around having a great time with all the younger kiddos. Henry was a good sport about being passed around.

As is custom with the Allen clan, a family member always dresses up as Santa to distribute the Santa Gifts (usually something small - socks, pjs, etc) to everyone. This year Chris morphed into Santa. Ollie was so into the whole Santa thing this year, so when Chris walking into the living room, Ollie sprinted across the room yelling, "Santa is here, Santa is here, Santa is here." It was so funny.

Chris aka Santa

Waiting in anticipation for Santa gifts

Ollie was not shy with Santa and went right up and gave him a huge hug.

Henry on the other hand, was not so sure about Santa.

Part III - On Christmas morning, we opened gifts and stockings as a family at our house with my mom. The boys were up early and I think we opened gifts around 7 a.m. All I know is that it was still dark out. My mom took most of the pictures, so I will have to post them once I get them from her. Ollie was pretty stoked about his airport and Henry's little race track, which he has continued to hijack from Henry at every chance he can get. I got some running gear, a beautiful orchid, and a key beaper - so I can find my keys, which I am constantly misplacing. Mylo got a new bird feeder, a cast iron skillet, and lots of socks.

Later that morning, Mylo's mom, brother and grandmother came over and we exchanged gifts once again. Ollie got a rad garbage truck from Grandma Wendy that is a replica of the SSC garbage trucks we have in town. Needless to say, it was one of his favorite gifts. We had brunch with the family and I promptly started taking down all the Christmas decor since we were leaving town for a week the next day. Once Christmas is over, I am sooooo ready to pack up all the decorations until next year. For Christmas dinner, we made vietnamese spring rolls, which were delicious and a nice change from all the heavy Christmasy food we had been eating for the last few days. Then it was off to the airport in the morning for our Park City/Wyoming Adventure (more on that later)....

8 Months

2012-01-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Henry is actually almost 9 months old (in 8 days) and I failed to post anything about 7 months, so I figured I should probably post something about Henry's 8 month accomplishments lest he feel neglected. So here we go, Henry started commando crawling around 5 1/2 months and started pulling up on things around 7 months. In his 8th month, this kid has become truly mobile and he is a quick little bugger. He is fully speed crawling now, pulling up on everything, including walls, and cruising around furniture.

Look how proud he is of himself. He is a very curious and likes to get into everything. He has managed to climb up two stairs so far. He has gotten into one of plants several times, eating dirt on one occasion. He loves to be chased. If you telling him you are going to get him, he starts crawling double-time and laughing hysterically. He also appears to have no fear. He will just let got of things and fall back on his bum. It is a little frightening.

We are going to have to up the auntie on the baby-proofing. I am not a huge fan of major baby proofing, but we are going to have to put up a few gates since we have two sets of stairs and put in something to block our fireplace, which is totally open. Other than that and putting in more outlet covers, I don't plan on doing much more. I figure they have to get used to living with things like plants and cupboards and I am not going to block them from anything and everything that could be considered a "danger." It worked with Ollie, so hopefully it will work with Henry.

Clearly, he is still adorable as ever. Those chubby cheeks just melt my heart. He is very sweet tempered, although he is getting considerably more vocal about his distaste for things, especially being confined to his highchair. Speaking of the highchair, he refuses to eat any pureed food, so I have given up. He will eat pretty much anything of the solid food variety, so we have just been giving him little mini bites of things that we are eating. The only challenge is finding things that are soft enough for him since he only has two teeth, which he also got this month. He is very interested in all the things we eat and sits there like a little bird with his mouth open when we are eating. He gets very upset if you don't share your food with him.

Henry has also started jibber-jabbing quite a bit this month. He makes lots of "ma-ma," "duh-duh" sounds. It really sounds like he is saying mama sometimes, but I think he is just babbling. He has also made a few signs, signing what looks like "more" and "milk. " He is very observant of his big brother and is constantly wanting to get into whatever Ollie is doing. He has also become very interested in the cat. Both Ollie and Hazel (cat) are very tolerant of Henry, which is good. He has recently started playing peek-a-boo with us. He will lift up a blankie to cover his face and the lower it and then giggle uncontrollably. Quite possibly the cutest thing ever!

He is a happy little bugger. We get lots of full body smiles and belly laughs from him. He is also super tickle-ish and it is fun to tickle-torture him for some of those baby giggles. Good-god, I love this kid!

Traditions

2011-12-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about having your own family is inventing your own holiday traditions, which is what we have been trying to do more of this year with Christmas. Ollie is so much more interested in Christmas this year and it has been so much fun to see him get so excited about trimming the tree and decorating our house. He even has Christmas lights on his bunk bed (idea stolen from Heidi).

We are not a particularly religious family, so our Christmas doesn't revolve around the Christian version of Christmas, but we don't want it to revolve just around Santa and getting a butt-load of presents either. I want Ollie and Henry to appreciate the spirit of giving that abounds this time of year. Not giving because you are obligated, but giving because of the joy you experience making someone else feel loved with a thoughtful gift. I want Christmas to be a time for appreciating what they have, their family, and taking time to do something for those less fortunate than us (that sounds super cliche, but I mean it, really, I do).

In an effort to impart those things on our kids, we have decided to do a few things differently this year. I don't recall where I saw the idea, but I saw an idea to pare down Christmas gift giving by limiting gifts to the following:

Something they want;
Something they need;
Something to wear; and
Something to read.

For example: Ollie is getting the Plan Toys Airport with a few extra vehicles (i.e. "want"); some fun underwear and a long sleeve shirt (i.e. "need"); REI long johns (i.e. "wear"); and two new books (i.e. "read"). I think it strikes a perfect balance. Those gifts will come from us and Santa will bring each kiddo a stocking with a selection of fun little toys, a few snacks and practical items like toothbrushes, a winter hat, cheap gloves, and like items.

After purchasing stocking stuffers, I laid them all out on the bed and realized that I went a little overboard, so I stashed a few items away for Easter baskets. It is so easy to go overboard with stockings. Next year, I will have to give myself a dollar limit.

We are also starting a tradition of Santa leaving each kid a book at the foot of their bed/crib. Mylo heard about this idea somewhere and I think it is just too cute. We are writing a fun little note from Santa in each book with the year. It will be a fun keepsake for each kid. At least until they stop believing in Santa...

We are also having each kid pick out a present (under $15) for each other. Obviously Henry is not really participating much in the present selection for Ollie this year, but Ollie did a great job of picking out the most adorable, soft stuffed bunny for Henry at the local baby store. We went to the store, just the two of us, to specifically pick something out for Henry. Ollie looked all around the store before picking the bunny. He asked if we were going to get a toy for him too, and I gently reminded him that we weren't there for to get him something, but to get a gift for Henry. Surprisingly, he was fine with it. He helped me wrap it and is all excited about keeping it a secret. I think it was a good lesson for him.

We also participated in the food drive at Ollie's school for the Bellingham Food Bank. Ollie helped me pick out a big bag of food from our cupboard and we talked about how some people didn't have enough food and where the donations were going. I don't think he really got it, but it is good for him to start to have awareness that not everyone is a fortunate as he is. In the future, I would like to plan as a family where we will make a charitable donation and have the kids contribute from their own money to that donation. Maybe next year...

Holidays Shmolidays

2011-12-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

We are getting geared up for Christmas around here. I love Christmas. I love the music, the decor, the tree. I pretty much love it all. That being said, I am getting a little of sick of it already and there is still an entire week until Christmas. I feel like I have been hustling and bustling to get everything done. Thankfully, I am almost done. Phew! Now I just need to enjoy the rest of it. Here is how we have been getting in the Christmas spirit around here:

Santa Train - We took Ollie on his first ride on the Lake Whatcom Railway's Christmas Train ride. The train runs on the old Lake Whatcom railway and has some very old train cars. It is a bit of a moving museum. They do special rides at Christmas, complete with Santa. Ollie loved it.

Family shot with Santa. I like standing next to him - makes me look skinny.

Looking for Santa, who comes and sits with each kid individually during the ride.

While looking out the window, we passed a Church with a big nativity scene out front. Ollie exclaimed, "I see the baby Jesus!" So funny, especially because we are not particularly religious people. Despite that, I always put up a small nativity scene at Christmas, because I grew up with one. Ollie helped me set it up and I explained all the story of the birth of Jesus to him and apparently he listened.

Shortly before Santa arrived at our seats, Ollie exclaimed, "He is FAT. He is really fat." Mylo and I barely kept our laughter at bay and fortunately, I don't think Santa heard him. That kid tells it as it is...

Ollie told Santa that he wanted a T-Rex. We shall see...

Henry was not a big fan of Santa.

Family shot - 3/4 looking at the camera isn't half bad. Plus my hair looks good.

Trimming the Tree - We went to a local tree farm to cut down our own tree this year and it is a beauty. It is a nordsman fir, which appears to be a combo of a douglas fir and noble fir. The only downside was that it wasn't super fragrant.

Putting the lights on.

Commencing decorating. Ollie was super excited to decorate and fortunately, Henry was napping. Ollie clustered all his ornaments in the same 18"x 18" area. Pretty funny.

We went with a silver and green theme this year. I like to mix it up each year. Next year I think we unload all the assorted family ornaments and go with colored lights.

Being very diligent in his decorating.

The finished product.

One of my favorite ornaments - given to me by Mylo's mom, Wendy.

The kitty has stayed away from the ornaments, but she likes to chill under the tree.

Making Goodies - We purchased a ginger bread house kit, thinking Ollie would enjoy doing that, but it turned out to be a total flop. I lasted about 25 whole seconds trying to put the houses together with the frosting before giving up. Mylo tried in earnest for about 10 minutes, but the frosting was not sticky enough, despite following the directions exactly. So we scrapped it and made ginger bread cookies.

Ollie had a great time cutting out the shapes and eating the finished product later.

Real men bake without shirts - didn't you know?

Christmas Lights - There is this mobile home park in Bellingham that goes crazy decking out the whole neighborhood in a frenzy of Christmas lights. Naturally, we had to go check it out again this year. Ollie loved it last year and this year was no different. We loaded up the car with cookies and cocoa in our travel mugs and enjoyed the show. The best part was Ollie excitedly pointing out all the things he saw. It went a little something like this, "Rudolph, Frosty, Frosty the Snowman, Santa..."

Decorating the House - In addition to the tree, we have got the whole house all decked out in Christmas trimmings. We put lights outside, decorated the mantle, and hung our stockings.

It all looks to pretty. I guess I will leave it up until Christmas afternoon, at least!

My Modern Motherhood

2011-12-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's me, riding the roller coaster that is motherhood.

I am a part-time stay at home mom and a part-time attorney. It is hard to strike a balance between the two. I usually feel like I am doing a half-arsed job at both. I am always tired, often stressed out, and eternally feeling like my head is barely above water.

Sometimes I think that achieving the whole "we can have it all too" modern woman things is just plain impossible. Then the other stubborn, overachiever side of me steps in and says, "Suck it up, Bethany." I worked hard to get all this damn education, so I figure, the least I can do is use it. Right? But man is it hard.

I struggle with switching from my mama pace of trying to be patient with a toddler who does EVERYTHING at his own pace and my attorney pace of deadlines, do it now, and do it faster. I am constantly second guessing myself as a mama and as an attorney. Maybe I should be staying home full-time. Maybe I should increase my hours at work. But, when it comes down to it, I don't want to do either of those things.

I enjoy working, even if it is a tough job. It is not like staying home with children is easy. It was hard when I stayed home with Ollie for the first nine months of his life and that was only one kid. Fortunately, I don't feel particularly guilty about working part-time. I think I would feel guilty working full-time, but part-time seems to be a good balance, at least on the surface.

The closer you look though, the more off balance and precarious it all seems. Take for example, all the things you have to do to get to work when you work part-time and your spouse works full-time. We have to pack bags for the kids for daycare (which is at Mylo's cousin's house and takes a significant amount of stress OUT of the equation), we have to pack our lunches, set out our clothes, set out the kids' clothes, pack our bags, get milk out of the freezer for Henry, get all the "pumping" gear ready. All of which we do the night before. It is a zoo. Then we both have to get ready in the morning, while juggling two kids, who are both early risers. Did I mention we leave the house by 7:15 a.m.?

I drop them off at daycare and Mylo picks them up. Work days go by in a blur. Then we have to manage to feed the whole family and get the kids to bed. No wonder I am exhausted. Plus, I am trying to maintain my milk supply in order to keep nursing Henry. I pump three times a day at work, but my freezer stash is getting a lot thinner than it used to be. Henry will suck down a ton of milk when he is getting it from the bottle. It stresses me out to not have a couple trays of frozen milk sitting in the deep freezer, so I am trying to build my stash back up. Let's just say, I will be happy to kick that pump to the curb once Henry is weaned. Although I have gotten quite proficient at typing one handed while pumping at work. It takes some skill.

I try to tell myself that this is just a phase. It will get easier. But really, I'm not convinced. I think it will just be different. Even when they are school aged, it will be crazy. Then there will be school bags to pack, lunches to pack, homework to do, extracurricular activities to chauffeur and coordinate. I suppose the chaos is here to stay. At least for the next 18 years or so. I guess I should just suck it up and get used to it.

The Sleep Chronicles

2011-11-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to count how many times I have been asked, by perfect strangers, mind you, if my baby is a good sleeper. As if my frazzled, half-hazardly dressed, bags under eyes look wasn't enough to answer said inquiry. I mean, really? Why must people ask such ridiculously stupid questions? I have come to the conclusion that they merely want to torture poor sleep deprived parents with their redundancy.

Although both my boys have actually been pretty good sleepers (for babies anyway), they both reached the point when we could no longer tolerate the lack of sleep, for fear of losing our marbles. Both of them, after sleeping most of the night for months, reverted back to waking every couple hours around 5-6 months of age. They just teased us with 6,7,8 hour stretches of sleep to come back and slap us in the face with 2 or less hours of continuous sleep.

For Henry, the transition to crap sleep has occurred over the past two months. And, man does it suck. After happily sleeping in the co-sleeper next to our bed for the past 4 plus months, he suddenly decided that he could not and would not sleep anywhere but right next to me. As in actually touching me all night. I love to cuddle with a baby as much as the next woman, but I sleep like absolute crap with a little minion snuggled up to me all night. I worry about squishing him, I wake with every little sound/movement he makes and it was driving me crazy. Plus, Henry wasn't rested either and it was negatively affecting his naps.

Tired, sleep deprived mama + tired, fussy baby = really bad combination. Especially when said mama has a (part-time) job and a toddler to take care of. Despite what the general public thinks of attorneys, my job does take a significant amount of brain power and focus. Sleep deprivation does not foster these things. Plus, a nursing mama cannot consume massive amounts of caffeine. I kept forgetting appointments, losing my keys, forgetting my cell phone at home (not good when you have kids a daycare), not to mention having an utter lack of energy to do anything more than veg on the couch after the kids are in bed.

We had planned on having the boys share Ollie's room, which is upstairs with our room, but I could't really justify messing with Ollie's sleep, which is generally really good. So, we converted the spare room into Henry's room (more on the transformation later). He had been successfully napping in his crib (in our room) for few months in preparation for moving him into his crib for the nights at some unspecified point in the future, so we decided to go for it. We moved all the baby crap out of our room (where it shall never return) and into Henry's new room (formerly the spare room).

We "sleep trained" Ollie when he did a similar transition to crap sleep around six months. He quickly adjusted to sleeping by himself with minimal fussing. We didn't go all out Ferber Method Cry It Out method, but we did a similar variation. Ollie has been a fantastic sleeper ever since. We never really had to have him cry it out for naps or in the middle of the night. He just really seemed to sleep better by himself.

So we "sleep trained" Henry too. It was relatively painless. He fussed on and off for about 30 minutes the first night and has hardly fussed going down at night since then. KNOCK ON WOOD. His naps have been better (still nursing him down for most naps - unless he doesn't want to) and he is only waking up once a night (I still nurse him back to sleep then too). It is working out fabulously.

So now those annoying strangers lurking in the grocery store, who hunt me down to comment on Henry's adorable chip-munk cheeks (they are freaking adorable) can feel free to ask me about his sleep patterns. I am better rested now, so I will try to be condescending when I answer that he sleeps great, for a baby.

Trick or Treat

2011-11-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween, one of my all time favorite holidays, came and went. Like two weeks ago. Although we decorated the house and yard, we never got to some of the Halloween crafts I had intended to do. Next year, I suppose.

We did carve pumpkins. We carved our pumpkins with Grandpa Blago and Grandpa Kristi. Two of our four pumpkin patch pumpkins rotted from the inside out before Halloween, which was super irritating. I ended up getting two more pumpkins for carving from the grocery store. Lame.

I totally thought that Ollie would be into the pumpkin gut removal, but he was a bit squeamish about it. Instead, he delicately used the spoon to remove individual seeds.

Kristi mostly played with the baby. Per usual. :)

Mylo's carved pumpkin on the left, complete with bags under its eyes. Much like us these days. My carved pumpkin on the right.

From left to right. Ollie's owl, his request, but carved by Mylo, then Blago's two baby pumpkins, and finally Henry's scary pumpkin, carved by me.

My mom made the boys' costumes again this year. It is kind of a tradition. Ollie decided months ago that he wanted to be an alligator and he wanted Henry to be a lion. My mom already had a lion pattern, but couldn't find an alligator pattern at the fabric store. I did a little internet search and found the exact pattern my mom had used one year for me and my brothers, circa 1988. It has an alligator, mermaid, and frog. So I ordered it and had it shipped to my mom. It turned out great and was a bit of flashback.

I love the tail.

Henry's lion costume also turned out great. I was going to paint a little nose and whiskers on his face, but kind of forgot. He probably would have just smudged it anyway.

Grandma Wendy came over on Halloween to pass out candy while we took the boys around the block. We missed the downtown trick or treat, but our neighborhood is fantastic. Plus, it was fun to see all the neighborhood kids.

Obligatory kid photo - terrible, like usual.

Ollie was pretty stoked to trick or treat. He was a little shy at first, but he really warmed up to it once we got going. He would even grab the candy from the bowl (with gloved alligator hand, mind you) when he was offered the bowl. One lady had on of those bowls where there is a hand in the middle that moves and makes noise. For some reason she thought it would be a good idea to try it out on little three year old Ollie. He was not a big fan and was backing away from her with a freaked out look on his face. Fortunately he quickly recovered.

Showing off his alligator crawl, which was hilarious.

Ollie's candy haul. He made out pretty well for just going around the block. People in our neighborhood give out good candy too!

Mmmmm, sugar.

He's Three

2011-11-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, he's three. No longer a toddler, he has moved on to "pre-schooler" status. Sometimes I am shocked at how big he looks. He is turning into a boy. Crazy. We rang in his third year of life with an eventful birthday weekend, complete with tons of presents, cake, and a party.

It all started off on Friday at preschool, where Ollie got to bring a special snack. We made some fruit kabobs and the kids loved them. Ollie got a special crown and they sung him several special birthday songs. He loved it.

On Saturday morning we resumed our celebrations (not actually his birthday, but the day of his party), which also happens to be Mylo's and my mom's birthday. We let him dig into his presents early, because I have no patience.

This is his version of "three." He got it right on his left hand anyway.

He has become quite astute at present opening. Three years of practice, I guess.

Ollie is pretty obsessed with dinosaurs these days, so he had a bit of a dino themed birthday, including quite a few of his gifts. From us, he got a dino puzzle, dino matching game, dino encyclopedia, dino flap book, the new Bumblebee Boy book, and adventure jeep, complete with dinos.

Grandma Sally got his this dino set and some dino footy pajamas.

My mom and I spent the morning making Ollie's cake. He requested a dinosaur cake, so this is what we came up with. It turned out really well, but wasn't the most tasty cake I have ever had. The frosting was super sweet. I won't be using that recipe again.

Grandma Wendy came over later to give Ollie his gift - which she has been

waiting to give him for a couple years. Literally.

Ta-da. It is an awesome treehouse, complete with little doll family.

He loves it. It has all kinds of moving pieces and all kinds of nooks to explore.

For Ollie's actual birthday party, we headed to the gymnastics place. In lieu of having 10 plus three year olds at my house, we opted for a party at a different locale and this was what Ollie wanted. He used to got to gymnastic classes here before he started preschool and he loves it.

Taking a breather.

Getting a little stretching in.

The zipline.

The party crew - well most of them anyway.

After the gymnastics, it was cake time. Ollie wore his special crown from preschool and gobbled down his cake with his buddies.

Saturday night we went out to pizza with the extended family and Ollie was gifted another dino book (from Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Jesse), a dino sticker book and a special trip to the Skagit Children's Museum (Grandma Krisit and Blago). Sunday morning (his actual Birthday) we made Ollie some special birthday pancakes with sprinkles. Ollie had a great weekend and it was fun to celebrate with him and see him truly enjoying his special day.

Six Months

2011-10-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

We have officially reached the six month mark. I feel like I blinked and arrived here via some sort of high speed time warp. Didn't we just bring him home from the birth center after our whirlwind birth? It makes me a little nostalgic for that little baby stage, which was so very fleeting this time around. I have dubbed Henry a "danger baby," as in, he is so stinking cute that he poses a serious risk/danger to women of a childbearing age because they will inevitably want to procreate upon seeing him.

Apparently, I am a sucker for matching pajamas. Can you blame me?

He continues to be a relatively easy baby. He is usually pretty happy, always smily, and very attentive to everything going on around him, particularly whatever trouble his older brother happens to be getting into. At his six month check-up yesterday (actually 6 months 2 weeks), he was 17 pounds 5 ounces and about 28 inches long (which was the same as 4 months and not very accurate as he was rolling all over the place). Those stats put him in about the 50th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height.

This kid is a major mover and shaker. He is already quite mobile - rolling and commando crawling all over the place. There is no leaving him unattended. He is so close to crawling (which Ollie didn't do until 8 months). He can almost get his belly off the ground in a push up/cobra pose, but hasn't quite put it all together yet. I am not looking forward to full fledged mobility. I suppose I should start "baby proofing" the house, especially with all these apparently dangerous toddler toys around.

Check out that reach. This kid grabs at anything and everything.

He is also sitting up like a pro. He will still topple from time to time, but will sit and play for quite a while. The other day he toppled headfirst into Ollie's plastic stegosaurus and scratched his head pretty good. I find it hilarious that his first notable injury was via prehistoric toy.

I just couldn't resist a little preview of Henry's Halloween costume. Ollie wanted him to be a lion, so Grandma Sally whipped up this little diddy. Man, she is good.

Here are few photos from a post-bath photoshoot....sorry for the photo overload, but I was feeling guilty that we hadn't taken enough pictures of Henry and decided to up the anty.

Hmmmn, this bedspread is so interesting...

Oh, you wanted to take a picture, sorry...

Back to the bedspread...

Enough of that, let's play with my toes.

Post bath - who can resist a chubby toweled baby? I dare you, try to resist!

We also introduced some solid foods at six months. We started with a little baby oatmeal cereal and sweet potato. He wasn't really too into at first and made some pretty funny faces, but he is getting better at actually keeping the food in his mouth. So far, he has tried sweet potato, carrot, apple, and pear. He has also been gnawing on some barely teething biscuits, which he loves. I feel like he has been teething on and off for most of his lifetime, but with no pearly whites to show for it. His little teeth must just be taking their time to move around in his gums, because we have most certainly been experiencing teething symptoms.

Not so sure about this...

Not opening up...

Ok, ok, I'll open up...

At six months, we are definitely ready for Henry to move to his own room. His sleep (which has been mostly fantastic), is starting to revert back to more nursings and wake-ups at night. He is also refusing to sleep in the co-sleeper anymore and wants to be in bed with us (although he sleeps in his crib for his naps). Unfortunately, I sleep horribly with him in our bed. Being a (part-time) working mama, I need my sleep. So, we are converting the spare room to Henry's room for the time being (with the boys sharing Ollie's room once Henry is consistently sleeping through the night). I will be happy to see all the baby crap leave my bedroom and find a new home elsewhere. We will be painting Henry's future room this weekend. Let the sleep training games begin....

Spookified

2011-10-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Halloween might be our all time favorite holiday to decorate for. Of course, I love to decorate for Christmas, but Halloween decorations are just fun. I love all the creepy crawlies and what not. So we got down to business and spookified our house - inside and out. I love it and just had to share...

The mantle, complete with ginormous spiders (last year's Greenhouse purchase)

My personal favorite - creepy skeleton in the bowl. Ollie keeps placing it beside the bowl and telling me that is where it goes. I keep putting it back in the bowl and then he will find it and say, "Hey, that isn't where it goes." We do this about every other day or so. Hasn't gotten old yet.

Spider webs and sparkly spiders around the fireplace. Ollie loved putting up the webs and placing spiders.

Skull garland - never gets old. Plus it was only a buck.

One of this year's purchases.

Front porch with pumpkins, orange lights, more webs/spiders, creepy black gauze draped in the cherry tree we still haven't planted.

And, drum roll please, our very own graveyard. Love it! Now we just need some treat or treaters to freak out. Cue evil laugh...

Foulish

2011-10-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

This last week has had me a little down on this whole motherhood gig. It was a foulish kind of week. Kids with colds that just seemed to get worse and worse as the week progressed (Henry is still in the thick of it). A jam packed week at work. A house that just sinks deeper and deeper into filth and messiness. A list of projects that I never seem to be able to tackle. Absolutely no time for myself. Too tired to make time to work-out. Basically, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, that left me exhausted on all levels: emotionally; mentally; and physically.

My already thin patience was completely shot, Ollie watched way too much T.V. because he was sick and I didn't want to deal with his whining anymore. Nothing got done around the house. I started to clean several rooms, but couldn't finish before kiddos woke up from naps, making the already messy house even worse. Ollie's cold just kept getting worse - coughing, gunky, feverish. It was the sickest I have ever seen him. He was feeling so crappy, he was actually subdued - that is saying something. Mylo had to stay home so I could go to work because I had appointments I couldn't miss. Plus I had already committed to volunteer for a charity auction and dinner that night, so not only was I gone all day, but I was gone all evening too. Can you say guilt?

Then Mylo got sick too. He has been serious trooper though. We had a busy weekend planned - 5k run (Race for Education), trip to the pumpkin patch, yard work, family pictures. Ollie was starting to feel better by the weekend, which meant he was rather cranky and feisty since he finally had some energy. Besides a few minor breakdowns (which is completely normal on a good day), he was great for the run and pumpkin patch. Family pictures on Sunday were another story. Both boys had boogers and Henry seemed to be getting worse, but our pictures had already been rescheduled an account of bad weather, so we loaded our pockets with tissue and tried to make the best of it. Ollie was not very cooperative and it was frustrating. Plus I had a little breakout on my chin. Classic.

By Sunday night, Henry had a mean cough going and was wheezy. I think he has croup. Ollie never had croup, so this is new territory for me. It is heart breaking to see your baby sick. He is still in pretty good spirits, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is a mild case of croup. Needless to say, I slept like crap with a wheezy baby lying next to me all night. Today, I stayed home from work with the kiddos (I have a low key week at work, thankfully) and the next two days are my regular days off, so hopefully we will all be on the mend by then. I have managed to avoid the plague so far. Fingers crossed, knock on wood.

Basically, it was the perfect storm. After our family picture session, I was in a foul mood. Snappy, cranky, short with everyone. Anything and everything Ollie did annoyed the hell out of me. I lost my temper. Repeatedly. Felt like crap for losing my temper at my sick kid. Seriously, does it get any lower than that? Me thinks not.

I got really down on myself. I vented to Mylo that I seriously wondered why I had kids sometimes, when I am so clearly not the motherly type. My mood spiraled downward. Maybe I was duped by my biological desire to procreate. Duped twice. At this particular moment, the benefits didn't seem to outweigh the costs.

Just having these kind of thoughts made me feel like the worst mother on the planet. No one really talks about how really truly hard having children is. It is really, really hard. The hardest thing I have ever done. But, the best things in life are hard. I can't even imagine my life without my boys. They teach me things about myself I never could have learned otherwise, even if those lessons are difficult to learn. They are my opportunity to learn to be a little more self-less. To learn more patience. To learn more compassion. To appreciate the small stuff.

So today, I am resolved to pick myself up by the bootstraps. Be a little more patient. Appreciate the good things. Realize that my life is pretty amazing. That my boys are pretty amazing. That I am a good mom. That some days (weeks) are harder than others and even in the hard days (weeks), there are good moments.

Pumpkin Hunting

2011-10-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out to Stoney Ridge farm to pick out the perfect pumpkins for Halloween. Stoney Ridge has it all. A chaotic combination of all that is Fall - apples, cider and pumpkin donuts, farm animals, "hay" ride, pumpkin patch, and apple orchard.

We had intended to meet some friends at the farm, but our morning got a little crazy with running the Race for Education 5k that morning with the boys in the jogger. Ollie was just getting over a nasty cold, Mylo was just getting it, and Henry and I were (and are) trying to avoid getting it, so we were all feeling a little under the weather. We made the best of it anyway and had a good time as a family.

Ollie checking out all the sights.

The Pumpkin Patch - it took Ollie forever to pick one.

Our haul.

Taking a breather to eat his 25 cent apple.

Apple picking - fresh apples are so yummy.

"Hay" ride, completely hay-less, but complete with tractor.

The Hen and Mama

Ollie eating his Apple Cider Donut - pure deliciousness.

1/2 Marathon

2011-10-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer I recruited Mylo to run the Bellingham Bay 1/2 Marathon with me, which is in September. I figured it was the best way for me to get back in shape relatively quickly and have a built in training buddy. Mylo was game, so we signed up and went for it. We have never really ran much together. Running has been mostly my thing. But, it was fun. We ran together with the kiddos 3-4 days a week. Both the boys were great in the stroller and we did up to 10 miles with them.

After completing our 10 week training plan, we ran the 1/2 marathon last weekend. The forecast was looking horrendous, with rain and lots of wind, but it ended up just being windy. My mom came up to watch the kiddos while we ran and she walked down to the finish line with them to meet us. Mylo's dad, stepmom, and mom all showed up to show their support too.

We had a good time until the very end, when we were running head on into 40 mph wind. We ended up finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, which is a bit slower than I have ran a 1/2 marathon in the past, but it wasn't too shabby. Now Mylo is hooked on running and we are planning a few races this Fall. Next up is the Race for Education 5k next weekend, which we are running with the kiddos in the jogging stroller. Mylo may even train with me for the Chuckanut 50k in March.

After the finish - I seriously almost lost my lunch.

Finisher's Medal

Ollie rocking my medal. He loves to wear it around the house.

Mama and the Hen

Mylo, Ollie and Blago (Ollie-speak for Grandpa Blake)

5 Months

2011-09-25T16:01:00.001-07:00

Henry is 5 months old. We are seriously slacking in the picture taking department for this kid. Poor second child. I scrounged together what I have from the past month and the following seven photos were it (not counting what is on my cell phone). Time to take it up a notch.

Henry really is the happiest, smiliest baby ever. He is such a joy. No matter how crappy your day has been, when this kid smiles at you, there is nothing you can do to resist his charm. He smiles with his whole body - huge grin and flailing limbs.

Speaking of huge, he certainly is that. He is somewhere between 16 and 17 pounds and getting close to 30 inches long. The top of his head was almost at the top of his infant car seat, so we moved him to the rear facing convertible car seat. He is so much happier in the "new" (Ollie's hand-me-down) car seat. He hated the infant seat. Now he can see Ollie and glimmers of the world out the window. He has actually been falling asleep in the car regularly now. That rarely happened in the infant car seat.

He is growing out of his 9 month clothes and starting to move into 12 month clothes. He is already wearing clothes that Ollie wore when he was almost a year old. On a side note, I find it impossible to not compare Ollie and Henry as babies. Not in a competitive way, just by way of comparison. Back to Henry at five months.

He is starting to sit up unassisted. He is still quite wobbly and tippy, so we have been using the Boppy to support him. He also likes to sit in the highchair, as long as he has plenty of toys to entertain him.

His other favorite is the jumperoo thingy. We don't have a good place to put a doorway jumper, so we bought a used stationary jumper. He will happily bounce for quite a while. I got rid of my bumbo seat and exersaucer, because he hated both of them.

He puts everything in his mouth and I mean everything. He loves the Sophie (giraffe on the floor above) and will gnaw on her non-stop. He is also a grabber - hair, earrings, glasses, you name it, he will grab it. I have taken to wearing mostly stud earrings to avoid having stretched ear lobes.

He is an expert roller. He is starting to scoot around on his belly, although he can't get far yet. I don't think crawling will be far off. He wants to be mobile so bad. I on the other hand, don't. We have yet to make our house baby friendly, so I guess I should put that on my "to-do" list. Also on the list, is getting the spare room converted to his room. I initially thought I would just have him share with Ollie after we moved him from our room, but they are both such good sleepers, I don't want to mess with a good thing. So we are going to convert the spare room (sorry, Mom) into Henry's room. My goal is to have it done by the end of October, we'll see.

Speaking of Ollie, Henry loves to watch him run around and be his crazy self. Henry will laugh hysterically when Ollie turns on his charm. It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I think (and hope) they will be quite close someday.

Mariners' Day

2011-09-20T20:14:00.001-07:00

We headed down to Seattle for our annual family Mariners' game. Ollie was so excited to sport his Mariners' hat at a real game. He kept getting confused and calling it a football game. When we would correct him, he would say, "Oh, yeah, yeah. Baseball Mariners' game."

We lucked out with a gorgeous day. We had great seats along first base and fortunately we were in the shade. Even with great seats, although I don't feel like I got to watch much of the game, considering I was trying to wrangle two children, one of whom had skipped his nap the day before and getting pretty cranky towards the end of the game. Sometimes I wonder why we decide to take our children on such outings. Seems a little futile at times.

The game happened to be on September 11th, which was the 10th anniversary of the Twin Towers coming down. There was a tribute to the police, fire, and emergency personnel who risked, and some of whom lost their lives responding to the scene of September 11, 2001. There were bagpipe players playing Amazing Grace and I got a little choked up. I didn't know anyone in New York and the tragedy of that day didn't affect me personally, but I just felt very emotional remembering the events of that day - watching the surreal video footage from England, where I happened to be at the time. It was good to have a moment to reflect on those memories, because I haven't spent much time thinking about that day.

On a lighter note, we got some goodies at the Team Store and ate some yummy (and completely unhealthy) food. Ollie was really into clapping and cheering along with the crowd. He was also entertaining the folks around us by busting a move to the music. He is getting to the age where it is fun to see him enjoy more "adult" activities, even if his attention span is much more limited.

Henry, who has entered the distracted nurser phase, was refusing to nurse under the nursing cover (can't say I blame him). I am all for nursing in public, but I don't particularly enjoy having my nipple and breast continually exposed to the strangers sitting around me, most of whom were seated a meager ten inches from me. So, in order to get the kid, who was hungry, to nurse, I ended up nursing him in the "family bathroom." I did it standing up, because there was no way in hell I was sitting on that toilet seat. Fun times.

Ollie being coy.

This picture took some major coaching to get Ollie to cooperate. Little bugger.

Henry's first Mariners' game, complete with hand-me-down hat. Poor second child.

Ollie and Dad.

Ollie got to play at the playground at the ball park. They limit how many kiddos can come in at a time and Ollie was having a great time until it started to reach capacity. With all the bigger kiddos running around, he managed to climb to the top of the enclosed playground and then absolutely freaked out at the top, refusing to budge and crying hysterically. I had Henry in the ERGO, so I couldn't climb up there to get him. After a failed attempt to coach my hysterical child down (which was excruciating), I had to have the playground attendant climb in to retrieve Ollie. She was very nice and sent him down the slide, which happened to be the closest exit. Poor little guy was sobbing uncontrollably. I felt terrible. Fortunately, he recovered relatively quickly. Ah, the joys of family outings.

Preschool is Cool

2011-09-19T15:41:00.001-07:00

This little guy is officially a preschooler. He is going to Loving Space School. It is a play-based preschool with Montesorri, Reggio Emilia, and Rudolph Steiner influences. It is an awesome school. They have multiple outdoor areas, a zip line, a "quiet" room (pretend play, reading nook, science/math area), a "loud" room (art/sensory area), a huge sandbox. Ollie is in heaven and I wish I could go to preschool with him.

The first day, Ollie was telling me, "Bye, Mom, bye," before he was even out of his carseat. This kid does not have separation anxiety issues. He does take a while to warm up to new people, especially when there are a lot of new people, but he seems to love school so far. The one thing he doesn't love, is eating lunch at school. This kid is one PICKY eater. He has refused to eat a single bite of lunch on both the days that he was there for lunch. It will be good for him in the long run, but in the short run, it is stressing me out. I guess I will just be bringing him snacks for our walk home from school.

The classic "front door" school picture. He looks so little.

Let's go already!

And, he's off.

Jumping right into playing at the water feature.

Change, Change, Change...

2011-09-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Not at all related to the following post, but an awesome rainbow over the bay this

morning.It was so close. Ollie loved it.

This is my mantra right now. Sung to the tune of Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." Change, Change, Change... Of course, I only sing it to myself, in my head. As the title suggests, there has been a lot of change for our family this month. It is been a little challenging. Juggling schedules, kids, and lots of transitions. This whole working (part-time) mother of multiple children gig takes some mad organizational and time management skills.

Mylo started his school year in August. He is at a brand new school this year, so he had a lot of work to do in his new classroom to be ready for the school year. Then the teacher's union had a strike, which fortunately only lasted one day, but was stressful nonetheless. It has definitely been an adjustment having Mylo gone all day, everyday. It was so nice being (mostly) home together all summer. But adjusting we are and it has been working out pretty well.

I have also started transitioning back to work this month, to be back to my usual schedule of three days a week by the beginning of October. It feels good to use my "legal brain" again, but it is also overwhelming to see all the work I need to get done pile up on my desk. Really, I should be grateful (and I am) that I don't have a shortage of work. Job security is a good thing right now.

With my return to work, comes Ollie and Henry's going to daycare. They are continuing to go to daycare at Mylo's cousin Megan's house and it is beyond perfect. They both love it, I completely trust her, and she is family. It is so reassuring and I feel very lucky to have such an amazing child care provider. I also love that they get to be together. Ollie is going to two full days a week and Henry has been gradually increasing his time there, from three hours, to four hours, and so on. Mylo's mom is continuing to watch Ollie and Henry on Fridays, which is also amazing. I love that Ollie and Henry get to have close relationships with so many of their grandparents.

First Day of School

Ollie also started preschool this fall at Loving Space school (more to come later). He is going two days a week for 3 hours. His transition has been pretty smooth, but it is still a transition. He seems to love it, so that is good. I think it is all still a little overwhelming for him, but I am sure he will settle in. He tends to need some time to adjust to new things. It has also been a little hard for me to let go. Neither of my kids have really spent much time being watched by anyone who wasn't family. A few friends here and there, but mostly family. The teachers at his school are awesome, but I miss that little bugger while he is gone.

With all these changes, we have had to figure out how to get our entire family bathed on a regular basis, dressed daily, fed, and dropped off/picked up from their various locations. It seems trivial, but it is hard. I am mourning the loss of our unscheduled summer. We now have a vigorous nightly routine to lay out clothes, pack bags, and make lunches/snacks, so we can mobilize in the morning. I also had a meal swap with some friends - we all made nine freezer meals and all went home with nine different freezer meals. Now my freezer is stocked with nine ready made meals. Not having to worry about dinner on work nights is a huge relief. I also bought the Fix, Freeze, Feast cookbook. I have yet to try it (since my freezer is currently stocked), but I am looking forward to trying the bulk freezer meal method.

The Freezer Meal Swap and the herd of coolers to transport the meals.

All in all, change is good, but it takes some time to adjust. Fortunately, we are an adjustable bunch.

Also, unrelated, but Ollie is really into puzzles these days. Thanks, Liliana!

Almost Three

2011-09-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

This face pretty much says it all. Almost three is a tough age and I am not sure three will be much easier. Oliver has definitely blossomed into a full-fledged toddler at this point. He is, at times, opinionated, defiant, and sassy. Although sometimes difficult to deal with, he is becoming his own person and he certainly isn't lacking in the personality department.

He completed the summer reading program offered through the public library.

His language and reasoning skills are growing in leaps and bounds. He is starting to use proper tenses and person pronouns, saying things like, "I want to do it," rather than "me do it." He still pronounces some things in a toddlerish way, but then pronounces things like brachiosaurus, without issue. Some of our favorite things that he says are: surprise (kur-prize); soy latte; triceratops (ceratops). He also still drops the "s" at the beginning of words where the "s" is followed by a consonant, i.e. snow or stop. He loves to read books, is starting to recognize letters more, and loves to count things. Every time we are in the car, he is counting the bikes, cars, and trucks that he sees.

In addition to his verbal skills, he has become much more physically adept. He has always been, and continues to be, a little more reserved when it comes to physical things. He doesn't just go for it. It takes him some time to warm up to things he doesn't initially feel comfortable with, which is fine by me. He has really started to like riding his strider (no pedals) bike. We recently acquired a vintage style radioflyer tricycle from our neighbor's curbside free pile (score!), so he is starting to work on his pedaling skills too. He also loves to climb and jump off things. Unfortunately, this includes things like our couch and dining room table. He is also really getting into sports. This comes as no surprise, considering who is father is. He likes to kick the soccer ball and play tee ball with Mylo in the yard.

Riding his bike.

"Flying" with Dad.

Playing baseball in the backyard.

Ollie is also all about playing pretend these days. He likes to cook us meals in his little kitchen. He also likes to "doctor" us with his doctor kit. He has started making his cars, dinos, and animals talk to each other, which is hilarious. He was playing and saying, "Mom, mom," so I naturally replied, "Yes, Ollie." To which he replied with an annoyed voice, "No, he is talking to HIS mom." Well, excuse me.

Chef Ollie

Ollie has remained true to his two loves: dinos and all things transportation (trains, planes, automobiles, trucks, tractors, diggers, etc.) We have all learned the names of many dinosaurs (Yes, there are many, many more than the classic Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and T-Rex) and all kinds of heavy equipment. He also likes to search for bugs in the yard, collect rocks/shells/sticks from our walks (he now has a large jar in is room to put his "collections" in), and make his brother laugh. He likes to tell me, "Mom, I will keep one eye on Henry," when I am trying to get things done.

Ollie and his beloved "ceratops" from Cannon Beach.

Tantrums aside, it is really fun to be getting to the age where we can have fun experiences as a family, like going to the fair. Ollie loved seeing all the animals and going on his first real rides. We are headed to a Mariners baseball game this weekend and he is pretty excited about it. He is starting to grow out of his precious Mariners hat, so we might have to find a new one for him, that is, if we can get him to relinquish the current one. We are looking forward to taking him downhill skiing this winter and taking more indoor swim lessons (where we don't have to get in the pool - yay!).

Eating treats at the Fair.

First Fair Rides.

Ollie started pre-school this week (more on that later), which he loves. He has also started skipping naps every third or fourth day, which I don't love. He will still stay in his room, where he reads books and plays on his bed, so it isn't the end of the world, yet. In a lot of ways, Oliver is becoming a lot of fun as he approaches three. He is becoming more independent (using the potty by himself, dressing himself), is capable of full (and hilarious) conversations, and has a downright fantastic sense of humor. Of course, the exact same qualities that make him so much fun to be around, also make for some difficult power struggles, as well as complete and utter breakdowns. I guess it can't all be sunshine and daisies.

From BOB, to Phil and Ted, and Back to BOB

2011-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

When Ollie was born, my in-laws gave us an amazing BOB Revolution jogging stroller. It was my our most beloved and utilized piece of baby gear. That thing went with us everywhere. I put some serious miles on it walking and running with Ollie. It was how I got back in shape post Ollie. Ollie loved his BOB. He would happily sit in the stroller, checking out the scenery as we zoomed around town. I even ran several races with Ollie in the BOB. Needless to say, I was a little attached to it.

Then we got pregnant with Henry and I started researching double strollers. I knew I wanted something to carry both kiddos, so I could get out of the house and maintain my sanity. We already had a Chariot bike trailer, that can be converted to a jogging stroller with the purchase of a jogging wheel. We ultimately decided that we didn't want two double side strollers (Chariot and BOB), so we decided to get an inline double, the Phil and Ted's Explorer. Then we sold our single BOB, because why keep another piece of baby gear in the garage that we won't be using very often? I am a major purger and hater of all things clutter. Plus, it helped finance the Phil and Ted, which was pricey. It was a sad day when I sold the BOB. I almost got a little misty.

We used the Phil and Ted for walking, which we do a lot of in our neighborhood. It has so many different configurations for two kiddos, that was what sold me on it. I wanted to love it, I really did. But, once you have a BOB, you can't live without it. I had nothing but problems with the Phil and Ted. It had crappy steering, it was heavy, the front seat wouldn't stay upright enough to give Ollie room in the back, stitching came out, it got a hole in the basket and front bar, the front wheel had problems tracking, the brake got stuck, the wheels squeaked. The list goes on and on and I only had it for 4.5 months. So, I contacted Amazon, where I bought it and they said they would take it back and pay for shipping. AMAZING. I love amazon and promptly bought two more car seats from them.

We have been using the Chariot for jogging, which is pretty good, but has a fixed wheel (which doesn't track really well and pulls to one side) and you can't recline the seats, so it is a little limiting. We were going to order a new single BOB (they were on sale at REI) and just continue to use the Chariot as our double, since Henry loves the ERGO for walking anyway. It wouldn't be ideal, but it seemed like the most practical option.

Then, I just happened to look at Craigslist and found an awesome BOB Revolution Duallie that was in excellent condition, had all the extras (cup holder, seat cushions, rain cover) and was only $300 (new ones are $600 without the extras). So we went for it and bought it. I am so excited. It is huge, but I love it. It turns on a dime and steers with one hand. We are going to take it out on its maiden voyage later today. Did I mention that I am excited? Who knew a double stroller would make me so happy! You know what else will make me happy? The $7oo credit back to my credit card for returning the Chariot jogging wheel and the Phil and Ted. Whoo hooo!

I do have to add that, Mylo was RIGHT. He said we should just keep our old BOB and use the ERGO until we decided what we really wanted and I pushed for getting the Phil and Ted for fear of not being able to get out of the house. Who knew Henry would love the ERGO so much. Ollie hated it. So, there you have it. Mylo was RIGHT!!! You hear that Mylo????

4 Month Stats

2011-08-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Weight: 15 lbs 6.5 oz (50th percentile)

Height: 27 inches (95th percentile)

And, I think he might be teething already.

4 Months

2011-08-17T15:27:00.001-07:00

Henry is now four months old. Time really does fly and around here and it flies like a bat out of hell.

Check out that hair. This kid can rock a serious faux hawk.

He is quite the chunk and people often mistake him for a six month old. He is somewhere between 15 and 16 pounds. We have his 4 month check-up next week, so we shall see what "percentages" he is in. His cheeks and roly-poly legs are irresistible. Did I mention his big gummy smile? Because it will stop you in your tracks. He will smile at pretty much anyone who comes near him, including his own reflection in the mirror. The best part? He always smiles and laughs for Ollie.

He is one solid little chunk.

He is also a mover and shaker, which makes me a little wary. He started rolling over at three and half months and has now mastered rolling over both directions, from his stomach to his back and back to stomach. He has even done a few rolls in a row, which I guess makes him mobile. Yikes. I pretty much can't leave him any where unless he is confined or strapped in.

He is such a good baby. So happy, a fantastic sleeper, and good nurser. He pretty much just goes with the flow, unless the flow involves his car seat. Which he detests. There is really no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes he screams bloody murder, sometimes he falls asleep. We just bought Ollie a new "big boy" car seat, so we will be switching Henry to the convertible car seat, which I hope will help.

Our little angel is also a little less than angelic when Mylo tries to hold him in the evening. He will get quite feisty and fussy and then stop almost instantly once I pick him up. Pretty frustrating for both Mylo and myself. He is starting to have a bit more routine to his daytime sleep and we are working on having him sleep in his crib for naps. He has been doing a good job for his morning nap, but the afternoon is a bit more hit and miss.

"Dad, you are embarrassing me."

He has also gained quite a bit of coordination as of late. Instead of just flailing, he is now grabbing and holding on to things, including my hair, clothes, and earrings. He is showing an interest in toys and puts everything in his mouth. This kid can generate some serious slobber. Ollie wasn't big on putting stuff in his mouth or slobbering, so this is all new to me.

Yummy hands. I swear, he can fit the whole thing in there.

He is sitting up supported quite well now too, which is nice because we have been able to start using our Chariot with the baby supporter to go for runs. He also had his first ride sitting in the big boy seat in the Phil and Ted's stroller. He is a good sport about being in both of the strollers, even with Ollie poking and pestering him.

Rocking the stroller, big boy style.

To Three or Not to Three

2011-08-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I really wanted to have a girl. I never really thought I would have a strong desire to have girl. I am not particularly girly. I like to think of myself as a bit of tomboy. But, when we got pregnant with Henry, I had fantasies of dresses, hair bows, tu-tus and all other things girl. I dreamt of how I would decorate a girl nursery.

Instead, I have two beautiful, perfect, amazing boys. I am not complaining. I love my boys with all my heart. Since having Henry, my desire to have girl has begun to fade. I only feel a slight twinge of jealousy when I see families that are lucky enough to have both boys and girls. I happily shop for little girly gifts for my friends who have girls. I am content with my fellas.

But now I can't stop thinking about whether I want a third. Not to have a girl, but to have a third, because let's face it, I would have three boys. I am convinced. My whole life I have had dreams that I have only male spawn. Sometimes as many as five - which is not happening. Ever.

On a side note, I may lose it on the next stranger who, after seeing my two lovely boys, asks me, "So, are you going to try for a girl." As if a person can't be happy and content with two children of the same gender. Makes me more than a little irritated.

Being the (over) analyzer that I am, I continually debate the question of a third. It is on my mind all the time. Before having children I thought I wanted three. Now having two, I don't really think I want anymore, but I can't seem to let go of the thought of having three. One day I think, "I am done" and the next I think I might want just one more.

Then the practicalities of having three children sink in, because after all, I am a practical person. I would have to enter mini-van land, which I probably will be doing anyway, but at least it won't be a necessity. Five more years of day-care, then pre-school and extra-curricular activities. The fact that we only have a three bedroom house, which we specifically chose because we didn't want a huge house. Plus, I refuse to move until I can no longer navigate our stairs due to old age, so would be a little cramped. Then there is the environmental impact of adding, yet another person to this planet. Storing all the baby crap. Being pregnant again - which I hated both times. Juggling three little people's schedules while balancing a career (albeit part-time). Paying for college and being able to retire at a decent age. The list goes on and on.

Three just seems overwhelming, being out numbered and all. I am all for a challenge, but I honestly don't think I have the patience to endure three toddlers. I want to be a good mom (not saying you can't be a good mom to more than 2, but I don't know that I could). I don't want to be completely overwhelmed and stressed out. So for now, I am 85% sure I am done. But deep down, I don't really feel done. Maybe that will fade with time. Maybe I am just grieving the end of the little baby stage. I am sure it doesn't help that Mr. Henry is HUGE, rolling over, and almost wearing 12 month clothes at only 4 months old. Little bugger. For now, I will continue to purge the baby crap with the hope that I won't feel the lingering need to keep in around any longer.

The "Around Trip" Trip

2011-08-06T16:00:00.001-07:00

We recently returned from a trip that took us all around Washington and Northern Oregon - from Bellingham, WA, to Yakima, WA, to Newberg, OR, to Neskowin, OR, to Cannon Beach, OR, and back home to Bellingham. It was a bit of an adventure, driving that long of distances with a toddler and infant is less than desirable, but it was doable.

YAKIMA - From Bellingham to Yakima, Henry had us convinced that he had turned a corner with regard to his hatred of his car seat. He slept the whole way. The whole entire 3.5 hours, even with a stop for lunch in North Bend. He just went right back to sleep. Mylo and I actually chatted, uninterrupted (Ollie was entertained by the DVD player). It was heaven.

All that sleep must have done Henry good, because once we got to my Mom's house, he started rolling over - from his back to his stomach. Once he rolls over he gets stuck on his tummy, but he has already learned how to get his arms out from underneath him so he can prop himself up.

We went to Yakima for my step-sister, Sarah's wedding (more on that later), but while we were there we got some sun time in, complete with relaxing in the hammock and running through the sprinkler.

Ollie even played some board games with Grandma Sally and Grandpa John. It was an Eric Carle counting game and although he didn't quite understand it, he loved playing nonetheless.

THE WEDDING - Sarah and Eric tied the knot on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and we were lucky enough to be included in all the festivities, as Ollie was one of the ring bearers and I was a bridesmaid.

Here is Sarah in her amazing dress before the wedding (kind of dark, but it shows off the dress)

Ollie and Dylan, the other ring bearer. Being the second wedding Ollie was in, he decided to mix it up a bit by doing his T-Rex roar while running down the aisle and subsequently tripping, falling, and running back down the aisle crying, "I want my daddy, I want my daddy..." It was pretty hilarious and no one was hurt (including Ollie).

Ollie's sweet purple converse - Thanks Auntie Sarah!

No nap, so he was a little on edge later in the evening.

Ignore my glaring tan lines and look how big Ollie looks!

NEWBERG TO NESKOWIN - After partying it up at the wedding, we packed up the kiddos (we left right from the wedding) and drove from Yakima, over White Pass, and down to Newberg, which is outside of Portland, where we spent one night at our favorite Best Western, before heading to the Coast to Neskowin for Mylo's annual family reunion. I spent the bulk of the trip in the back seat, squished between the two car seats trying to keep Ollie asleep. He was very restless and as we later found out, was coming down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD), which sounds horrific, but is actually a really common virus that is usually accompanied by a rash on the feet, hands, and mouth. So, my back was killing me and I wanted to kill Ollie, but we all made it there alive. We spent one night in Neskowin catching up with extended family, playing at the beach, and of course, eating.

Little game of touch football, with Proposal Rock in the background.

Ollie was in love with the beach. It was like having his own personal mammoth sand box. He was content to drive his trucks around in the sand for hours.

After a few hours, the sun came out and Ollie got some playing time with his (second) cousins.

Henry took a monster nap in the shade tent.

Ollie and Jovi playing trucks.

Doing some "work."

CANNON BEACH - After spending a night at Neskowin, we headed up the coast to Cannon Beach, which is one of our favorite places on the Oregon Coast. Of course we had to stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory to pick up some squeaky cheese, check out the factory, and eat some ice-cream. Ollie was pretty cranky because of the HFMD, but he really liked watching the the cheese conveyor belt.

We rented a sweet little cottage in Cannon Beach, that was literally 1/2 block from the beach and a 5 minute walk from downtown. It was perfect. Mylo's Dad and Stepmom stayed with us for one night and then we had one night just our little family. We got in plenty of beach time, runs for Mylo and I, and stroll through downtown (hitting up the toy store and old fashioned candy store).

Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the background.

Our little cottage.

Afternoon stroll on the beach. It was pretty windy, but nice and sunny. Too bad we couldn't fit our kites in the car. It would have been a perfect evening to fly a kite.

Henry peeking out from the Ergo.

A sweet Peace Sign someone made on the beach.

Ollie and I playing a little beach ball soccer on Day 2.

Henry snoozing in the shade tent, which has been one of our better purchases since having kiddos. Thank you REI.

More beach time, soaking up the sun.

Ollie really got into running the (small) waves. He liked to yell, "Watch out! Run for your lives." Hilarious.

BACK TO BELLINGHAM - After spending two nights in Cannon Beach, we headed home. We left at 8:30 a.m. and got home around 3:00 p.m.. Needless to say, it was a loooong drive. Henry was not happy much of the way and seems to have found his lungs and man, his "new" cry is super obnoxious. For a usually mellow kid, he can really kick the crying into high gear in a hurry. So much for stating to like the carseat. So I spent more time in the back seat, squished and annoyed. But, again we all (barely) survived with the help of three pit stops, two coffees for mama, and some DVDs for Ollie during the last part of the trip.

All in all, we have decided that the beach is the perfect vacation spot with little kiddos. Ollie just loved to play in the sand and run around. Plus, they tire themselves out, making for easy naps and bedtime. If only we didn't have to drive to get there...

Bathing Beauties

2011-08-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

The boys took their very first bath together last week. It was adorable - plain and simple. Henry, true to form, just sat in his little bath seat, happy as a clam.

Florida 2011

2011-07-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

We headed down to Pensacola, Florida last week to visit my family and soak up some sunshine, which has been so elusive here in the Pacific Northwest this "summer." I refuse to describe the current weather (rainy and 60's) as even remotely summerish. Complaining aside, we had a great time in Florida. The weather was perfect (90's and sunny), we got to hang out with lots of family, and had a generally relaxing vacation, as relaxing as life can be with a 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old.

We stayed with my Dad, who has a great house on the water, lots of grown-up toys (all kinds of boats, paddle boards, a jet ski, kayaks), a sweet pool, and baby gear on-site so I don't have to pack the entire house to come visit. Both the boys did great traveling aside from a few break downs by each of them, which is totally to be expected.

We also got to spend time with my brother Matt, his wife, Mary, and their kids, Emma (almost 5) & Logan (3). Ollie loved all his cousin time and all three of them played really well together. We also got to hang out with some longtime family friends, the Elrites. My mom happened to be Pensacola at the same time, so were able to visit with my Grandma Krohn and my Aunt Chris and Uncle Tom too. Tom cooked us all a fabulous meal one night that we are all still dreaming about.

Without further adieu, here is the week in pictures....

Ollie really loved swimming, especially with his water wings and goggles.

It was a pretty sweet look for him.

He got so much more comfortable with the water,

letting his face get wet and even going under water a bit when he jumped in.

He would just doggy paddle around the whole pool with his "wings" on.

We got lots of family time in the pool since Henry was content

to just sleep in bouncy seat most of the time..

Pretty sure this isn't the "official" way to use a snorkel, but whatevs.

As previously mentioned, there was lots of napping in the shade by Mr. Henry.

Henry also took his first swim in Papa Joe's pool. Henry is so laid back, it was no big deal to him. It was so hot, it probably felt great. Ollie also had his first swim in this pool.

More sleeping.

Cousin time. Logan, Ollie, and Emma eating some gelato on Papa Joe's porch.

We were also able to celebrate the 4th of July, southern style. You can see the fireworks from my dad's house, so it was pretty sweet. Ollie stayed up and thought the fireworks for pretty cool for about 5 minutes, until they lost his interest.

Ollie did have a great time playing with his glow sticks (thanks Tammy),

which later became his "sword."

The ladies took the kiddos (don't know why this is underlining) to Pensacola Beach for the morning, while the fellas went golfing. It was so dang hot, with very little breeze, so you were sweating just standing there. It was pretty much unbearable unless you were in the water.

The kids didn't seem to mind though.

Henry got to sleep in Tammy's sweet little wagon with a canopy, but poor kid was so hot and sweaty I had to cool him down with cold water from the cooler.

We skipped the Blue Angels Show (too noisy for Henry) and went to the Naval Museum of Flight, which I highly recommend with kiddos. Ollie loved it. They have lots of things to climb on and even an indoor playground. Plus the air conditioning was positively arctic.

All in all, a fabulous trip was had by all and we made it home in one piece. Ollie loved spending time with his cousins and can't wait to see them again. Now we are planning a family ski trip to Big White after Christmas!

Three Months

2011-07-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Henry is now three months old. How did that happen already? We are through the "4th trimester" and Henry is so much more alert these days. He is somewhere around 14 pounds and about 25 inches long. He is still rocking some pretty pudgy little cheeks.

He is such a happy little guy. He smiles, coos, and laughs whenever we give him attention. He has a really ticklish belly. He is starting to roll from side to side and I don't think it will be long before he figures out how to roll over. We have been slacking on "tummy time," but he is holding up his head like a champ.

He likes to "stand up" and puts quite a bit of weight on his pudgy little legs. He has also discovered his hands and feet. He chews on his hands all the time and has started using his feet to "grab" at things. He loves to sit in his bouncy and chair and kick his legs like crazy. He gets that bouncy chair going like a regular bucking bronco.

His hair is getting lighter and more reddish. His eyes are still blue, but a darker blue than Ollie's. He is still sleeping really well. Basically, he is a pretty dang easy baby. We got lucky, real lucky. He really is the sweetest little guy ever. I could just tickle and kiss his little cheeks all day long.

Camp, Camp, Camping

2011-06-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

We got an adventurous bug and took both the fellas camping at Larrabee State Park, which is literally 15 minutes away from our house. It was our first family camping trip and Ollie's first-ever camping experience, which is why we opted for one night at a local site. It went really well and we are already planning some longer camping trips later this summer.

We don't own a "family tent" yet, so we used our two backpacking tents. The original plan was to have me and Henry in one and Oliver and Mylo in the other. Come bedtime, which was later than usual for Ollie, he refused to be in the tent with Mylo and had to come sleep with me and Henry. It worked out just fine, but Mylo was a little bummed he didn't get to have some father-son bonding time with Ollie. We will be buying a big tent for future camping trips. Needless to say, both the little guys slept like champs. Henry only woke up once and went right back to sleep.

The Tents

Henry pretty much snoozed his way through his first camping experience.

We had chicken sausages, homemade coleslaw and baked beans for dinner. Blago and Grandma Kristi joined us for dinner since they live in the neighborhood. Then, of course, we roasted marshmallows. Ollie opted to eat his raw. We didn't even have any fire casualties. Phew.

Building the fire with Blago. Ollie now uses all his toys and books at home to "build a fire." Hopefully we don't have a little pyro on our hands.

In the morning we headed down to the beach for some "crab hunting." Ollie love, love, loves the beach. He explored, stomped in the water, found sticks, and scaled the sandstone.

Good golly, that is one cute kid. It is a good thing he is so darn cute, because 2 1/2 year olds don't have many other redeeming qualities.

Back in the Saddle...Again

2011-06-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I went on my first run post-baby, ALL BY MYSELF. It was two weeks earlier than my first post-Ollie run (10 vs. 12 weeks postpartum). It felt good. Real good.

I nursed Mr. Henry, geared up, shoved the ladies into the tightest sports bra I could muster, grabbed my iPod and headed out the door. I stepped outside into the gorgeous sunny evening and took a deep breath. I queued up my iPod to the aptly named, "Pump it Up" playlist. ACDC filled my ears with "You shook me all night long," and I started to run.

As I made my way down the alley and into my century old neighborhood, with its beautiful old homes, each teeming with their own character, I couldn't help but smile. This is the same neighborhood I used to frequent for my runs during college. Back when I would run down the tree lined streets, lazily daydreaming that this neighborhood might be my neighborhood someday. Back when I had just started dating Mylo. Back when Ollie and Henry were but a glimmer in the future. Tonight, I couldn't help but think that my dreams of someday were here.

The inevitable postpartum jiggle and bounce aside, it only took me a few blocks to find my familiar and comfortable stride. I continued through my neighborhood and let my mind wander. This is why I love running. It is my "spiritual" time. My time to re-group, re-center, and unwind. Oh, how I have missed it during the past 10 plus months of gestation and healing.

I took a relatively flat route with only a few major hill climbs, which took some planning considering that steep hills abound in my neighborhood. As I climbed the hills, I put my chin down and pushed through the heavy feeling in my legs. I felt free. Free of toddlers, free of babies, free of the mess and clutter of life. As I turned the last corner towards home I reveled in my body. My body that could create two beautiful, perfect boys. My body that could labor and birth two babies. My body that could carry me on the most perfect 30 minute run ever.

Busy, Busy, Busy Bees

2011-06-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

I am taking full advantage of my time off from work. Ollie, Henry and I have been busy, busy, busy with neighborhood walks, play dates with friends, trips to the park, and adventures with the fam. Here is what we have been up to....

Woodland Park Zoo. We went down to Seattle to meet some friends for a day at the zoo. Almost all the animals were out and we got to see tigers, bears, wolves, gorillas and much, much more. Ollie loved it. Henry slept the whole time in the Ergo. Ollie even got to feed the giraffes (with the supervision of the zookeepers).

Hiking the boardwalk at Tennant Lake with all our buddies. It was a bit of wrestling match to keep the kiddos on the board walk and out of the water. Ollie did take a little spill up to his knee, but I was holding his hand and quickly lifted him up.

Walking in the neighborhood. We love taking family walks in our neighborhood to check out all the houses and get ideas for our yard. Ollie's favorite route is to walk to Lowell Elementary school to play at the playground.

Ridin' the balance bike. Ollie has been practicing his balance bike and is getting much more confident with it. He still stops a lot, so a walk around the block takes, oh, about 30 minutes.

Smiling and cooing. Henry is smiling up a storm. He has the biggest, brightest smile. It just melts me. The cutest thing is Ollie talking to him in a baby voice and Henry smiling and cooing back. (I don't know why it keeps underlining, but I am sick of messing with it.)

Sleeping. Henry is a pretty sleepy guy. My friends joke that they never see him with his eyes open. His routine is: eat; sleep; repeat.

We hiked to Fragrance Lake via Two Dollar trail with Grandpa Blago and Grandma Kristi. It was a gorgeous day and Ollie had a grand ole time playing in the mud at the lake.

Celebrating birthdays in the sun. We got to celebrate Eliot's 4th birthday at Birch Bay State Park last weekend. It was sunny and warm. Heaven. Plus there was a pinata (Ollie is showing off his pinata loot above). You can't beat that.

Tide pooling at the beach at Grandpa Blago and Grandma Kristi's place out on Chuckanut. Ollie likes to look for crabs and it just happened that there were tons of baby crabs on the beach, so Ollie was ecstatic.

Post-O-Rama

2011-05-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Shortly after Henry's birth, Ollie pulled Mylo's nice digital SLR camera off the countertop, where it crashed, lens first, into the wood floor with a sickening thud. Upon inspection the camera made a terrible clicking noise and wouldn't take any pictures. We changed the lens and low and behold, the other (telephoto) lens worked. We both breathed a sigh of relief and promptly ordered a replacement lens for the busted up one. Much better than having to replace the whole camera. In the meantime, we were stuck with my point and shoot, which has a serious white balance issue, resulting in fuzzy pictures. I have tried every damn setting and it just pisses me off. The result is Henry being documented quite poorly for some of the first weeks of his life. So now that we have a fully functioning camera back, I have done a little catch up on this here blog. So keep a scrollin' - there are at least 1/2 a dozen new posts down there. Post-o-rama baby. Literally.

Trip to Hovander

2011-05-30T21:20:00.001-07:00

Last weekend (when my mom was visiting) we went out to Hovander Park to soak up what little sunshine the weekend had to offer.

We climbed fences.

Checked out the livestock.

Pet the goats.

Posed for pictures.

Played on the playground.

Napped wearing bonnets and cardigans (I may or may not be living out my thwarted desire to have a girl).

Made dandelion crowns.

Threw sticks in the river.

Climbed more fences.

Posed for more pictures.

Smelled the flowers and called it a day. A good day.

6 Weeks

2011-05-30T17:58:00.001-07:00

Henry or "Hen" as he is often called around here, is now six weeks old (soon to be seven). He is weighing in at twelve pounds and is rocking some healthy fat rolls. I love the pudge. He is already wearing some 6 months clothes and the 0-3 month clothes are already long gone.

He is such a sweet little guy. Pretty chill most of the time, but will let you know when he doesn't like something. He is a bit of a mama's boy, but what newborn isn't? He is smiling, cooing, and kicking his feet a ton lately. He give Ollie the biggest and best smiles, especially when Ollie gets in face and says, "Hi. Oh, hi. Hi Hen."

He loves to be in the ERGO carrier and will sleep soundly as I carry him around. He also loves the swing and vibrating chair. The swing is his favorite place to take his afternoon nap, which conveniently coincides with Ollie's nap. We'll see how long that lasts.

He is still a pretty sleepy little guy and has been cranking out some pretty good sleep sessions at night. We'll see how long that lasts as well. For now, I will take it.

Bright eyed

Look at those cheeks and double chin

Action shot in the swing

I love that little nose

This Crazy Kid

2011-05-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Oliver is one crazy little kiddo. He constantly keeping us entertained with his antics and hilarious one liners. In addition to driving us up the wall with his two and half year old moments, this is what he has been up to...

Climbing the staircase (thankfully it only goes up about five stairs)

Striking poses

Organizing his toys or whatever he finds laying around

Playing dress up with his backpack, hats, costumes, and our clothes

Waking up pouty and cuddly after naps

Smiling with cheesy grins for pictures, while saying "double cheese"

Snacking on dried mango, one of his favorites

Stealing all of his brother's things, including this itsy bitsy jacket that was mine when I was a baby - I have no idea how he managed to get it on...

For Auntie Sarah

2011-05-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Auntie Sarah,

I love my onesie.

Love,

Henry

Flashback - Mother's Day

2011-05-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a little flashback to Mother's Day. Here is my card from Ollie (made with assistance from Mylo, of course). Mylo asked him what he loved about me and this is what he said...

(Things Oliver loves about his mom: Wearing shirts; having her purse; she loves daddy; laughing; talking; eating; weather; putting her hands on the table; loves flowers)

This stuff is just too good to make up.

Brothers

2011-05-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Look at these two. Is there anything more adorable? I can just imagine the trouble they will be getting into together. Yikes.

Shout Out to the Grandparents

2011-05-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Henry and Ollie have lots of grandparents and they are awesome. Grandma Sally, Grandpa John, Papa Joe, Grandma Wendy, Blago, and Grandma Kristi love the little fellas to pieces. It is amazing to see the relationships that Ollie has developed with his Grandparents. It melts my heart to see how much he loves them. They all have special relationships with Ollie and I am sure they will have the same with Henry.

We are lucky to have Mylo's parents here in town and my mom and her husband not too far away in Yakima. Papa Joe (my Dad) lives a bit further away, but we still get to see him on a regular basis and are going back down to Florida to visit again in July. They have helped us out immensely since Henry was born, making the transition to two kiddos much more smooth than it would have been had we attempted it solo.

So this here is a little shout out to the Grandparents who have watched our kiddos, brought us food, come to stay with us and help out post-birth, call us on a regular basis to make sure we are surviving, and regularly ask to watch the kiddos so we can squeak in a date night. We love you all and are so glad that you are an active part of our lives.

Conversations with a 2.5 year old...

2011-05-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ollie is talking all the time now. Literally, all the time. He asks "why?" about a million times a day. He picks up on anything and everything we say and read to him. Here are a few recent gems:

When we tell him to do something and he gets frustrated, he firmly says, "No and I will throw you outside."
The other day he added to the above statement, "and you be cold." - no idea where he got either of these from, but it was hard not to laugh.
Today when we were changing Henry's diaper Ollie was saying that the poop was gross and I said, "Poop happens." Ollie went on to say, "Pee happens and sometimes baby brothers happen." - Indeed they do.
He told Mylo, "I love every horse in every whole wide world." - um, okay.
He told me randomly, "Mama, you a superhero.
When I told him he was driving me bonkers, he said, "And crazy mom. I driving you crazy and bonkers." - to which I replied, "Yes, yes you are."
When I asked him why he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, he said, "Because I being rude and not listening." - Hmm, do you think he has heard that a lot lately?
When I asked him if he wanted cereal or waffles for breakfast, he replied matter of factly, "No, chocolate." - I couldn't agree more.
If you ask him if he wants to do something and by the grace of god he will agree, he will say, "Oh, sure, sure."
If he doesn't want to do it and he is, by the grace of god, not having a tantrum, he will say, "Um, no thank you."

It just makes me wonder what his internal dialogue is?

*Post Script Edit - the hilarity has just been flowing from Ollie's lips the last few days...

He told me that there were chickens in the woods and when I said I didn't know about that, he said, "Just trust me on this."
When Uncle Jesse (aka Uncle Juicy) asked why we should trust him, he said, "Because we go up a hill and you fall down, that's why." - That makes perfect sense to me.
He said that "Tuesday was Friday and that Saturday didn't taste very good."
He told me, "Mama, you are handsome just like me." - Um, thanks?

4 Weeks {tomorrow}

2011-05-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

In full disclosure, this was meant to be the 3 week post, but that just didn't materialize. Henry is almost four weeks. On one hand I can't believe he is already four weeks old and on the other I feel like he has been a part of our family forever. Here are a few little tid bits about Henry thus far:

At his two week doctor's appointment, he was already up to 9 lbs. 14 oz., which means after losing a little weight post birth, he gained back almost 10 oz. in a week. I am guessing he is somewhere between 10 and 11 pounds at this point.
He is a little chunk. He already has little thigh rolls and rubber band wrists. I love it.
He is a pretty chill little guy. Besides being a little fussy in the evening sometimes, he really only cries when he wants something or doesn't like something.
He is a champion nurser, but gets a little distracted by big brother from time to time.
He is becoming more alert and looks around with his beautiful blue eyes.
After comparing pictures of Ollie at this age, we have come to the conclusion that they look very similar, Henry is just a fatter, hairier version.
He tolerates "Ollie noise" very well and isn't phased by the screaming etc.
He loves motion. He likes the swing, stroller, and being in the ERGO until he gets too hot, which he does not like.
He hates having a poopy diaper and will let you know all about it.
He is already growing out of some of his 0-3 month clothes. He is pretty much rocking 3-6 month clothes already.
He is sleeping pretty well at night, usually sleeping anywhere between 3 and 4 1/2 hours at a time. So we usually go to bed around 10 pm and are up between 1:00 am and 3:00 am and then up again between 5:00 and 6:30 am. Not too bad. So far.
He has graced us with a few smiles, which are the best.

Here are a few shots from the last couple weeks. {My point and shoot is taking kind of fuzzy pictures, which is super annoying. I need to figure out how to change the settings to fix it.}

Postpartum - Take 2

2011-04-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Can I just say, my recovery from Henry's birth has been so, so much better than it was with Ollie. I have felt great from day one. Obviously I had some discomfort. I mean, I did just push a nearly 10 pound baby out of my nether-regions, but whose counting. With Ollie I could barely sit comfortably for a week. I literally hobbled around the house with my "butt pillow" in tow.

I attribute much of the difference to the significantly shorter labor, only 10 minutes of pushing, delivering in the afternoon rather than the early morning hours. Plus, I have already pushed out one kid, so the path out of the womb had a little less resistance than the first time around, if you know what I mean. I also didn't tear as much this time. I had a small tear with Ollie and had to have a few stitches. This time I had a tiny, tiny tear that didn't require any stitches and hasn't bothered me at all. So much better than last time, which took a long time to heal.

As for nursing, my discomfort was nothing in comparison to the first time around. No bloody, raw nipples. No being reduced to tears upon latching on. Although I had some soreness, it only lasted a couple days. Again, so much better than last time.

The hard part about this time around is ironically, feeling so good. It is easy to forget that I just gave birth a little over 2 weeks ago. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to take it easy, when all I want to do it go out for a walk. Okay, honestly I am counting down the weeks until I can start running again. My street is a big running street and I have been feeling supremely jealous as I watch the runners bound by. When I do go for a walk or run too many errands I feel it later - I get so tired.

Cuddling with Henry and feeling so good almost makes me think I could do this whole thing again, almost. Then I snap back to the reality of dealing with a toddler and an infant and I think I am 99% sure I am done making babies. Honestly, I don't think I could do the whole pregnancy thing again - I have more stretch marks and more pounds to lose this time. Can someone explain why I get stretch marks on my inner thighs when I am pregnant? I know I gain weight there, but not that much. So irritating.

This time I came home looking about 25 weeks preggers and the baby belly slowly melted down to belly jelly. I feel so out of shape. I think getting back in shape this time around is going to be more difficult. I have about 17 pounds to lose before I get back to my target weight of 140 pounds. I was somewhere between 130 and 135 before I got pregnant with Henry, but I had dropped quite a bit of weight post Ollie and was actually lighter than I was before I got pregnant with Ollie. So I am trying to be realistic and set a reasonable goal and 140 it is. I am not in any rush to drop the weight, I just want to get back in shape and feel good again. I know it won't happen overnight, but I am looking forward to being more physical again.

Easter

2011-04-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

We had a super low key Easter this year. We were feeling a little like "home bodies" since all my family had just left after staying with us after Henry's birth. So we stayed home, didn't make any special Easter dinner, and enjoyed a laid back day. We did manage to squeak in some egg dyeing, which Oliver loved.

We started the day off with Easter baskets and a plastic egg hunt in the house. Oliver loved the Easter egg hunt. He kept exclaiming, "Look, another one." Mylo might have to step up his egg hiding next year because Oliver made quick work of finding all the eggs. Oliver got a Thomas train, "digger" t-shirt, new big boy underwear, and a doctor's kit. Henry got some clothes and a little key chain toy.

Ollie "nesting" on his eggs.

The final eggs.

Two Times the Fun...

2011-04-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

... and at least four times the work. And it has only been two weeks.

These two fellas are certainly keeping us busy. Between trying to give Ollie, a very active and curious toddler, some of the attention he is accustom to and holding, bouncing, nursing, and changing all of Henry's diapers, we have our hands full. Fortunately all the newborn stuff is a million times easier and less anxiety producing than it was the first time around. The scary part is that Henry is still sleeping a ton, so I am wary of what the future will two little boys will hold.

Mylo and I have gone from a parenting partnership - sharing in most parenting duties, to a more tandem parenting approach. Tag team parenting, if you will. Often negotiating - if you take this one, I will take the other one. Obviously, having the only food producing boobs in the family, I am mostly taking care of Henry, while Mylo has taken on most of Ollie's care.

Mylo has always been a very hands on father, even with just one kiddo. He is pretty amazing. I can't imagine having a family with anyone else. With two kiddos, Mylo has really stepped up and taken on most of Ollie's care, so I can take care of Henry. He does this without so much of a blink of an eye and always without complaint. This is no easy task since Ollie has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to Henry's arrival. He has been acting out quite a bit, which was totally expected and understandable, considering his life has been completely turned upside down. Even if it is more or less understandable, it doesn't make his new behaviors of screeching, screaming, tantrums, talking back, and not listening any more enjoyable. It is incredibly frustrating, especially when you are tired from waking up several times a night to care for a newborn.

The long and short of it is that we are adjusting to our new life with two kids. Every time I say "kids" in the plural, it still freaks me out a bit. Mylo and I were joking that we will have been married for five years this summer, we have two kids, so our lives are basically over as we know it. We have even been discussing mini-vans in earnest. Our lives have most definitely changed from the days of ultimate frisbee tournaments practically every weekend, driving my cute red little VW Jetta around (with the backseat blissfully unencumbered by bulky car seats), carefree evenings of watching movies and hanging out with friends. But, we wouldn't change it for the world. Each hilarious "one-liner" from Ollie and fleeting newborn smile from Henry makes all the hard work, sleepless nights, and frustrating toddler push-back completely worth it.

Tulips

2011-04-22T15:55:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of a Mylo's last day off of work this week to go down to the annual Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon for our first official family outing. It also happened to be a fairly nice day, which was a bonus. The tulips were in full bloom and were gorgeous. Oliver loved stomping in all the puddles and almost went down a few times when his rain boots got stuck in the mud. It just happened to be free tractor trolley day, so Oliver lucked out and was able to ride in the trailer towed by the tractor. He was in hog heaven. Henry pretty much slept through the whole thing - including the drive down there and back home. All in all, it was a successful outing, with the only major hiccup being Oliver's insistence to kick the back of my seat when we were in the car - fun times.

Checking out all the colors.

Stomping in the puddles.

Oliver refusing to turn around to take a nice photo.

Rows and rows of beautiful tulips.

More puddle stomping

So serious.

Me and my boys.

This pretty much sums up Henry's experience - out like a light.

Henry Finch

2011-04-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is a little late, but we have been laying low and adjusting to life with two little ones...

Henry Finch arrived on Tuesday, April 12th at 1:45 p.m. after about 4 hours of labor and pushing through about 4 contractions. It was a quick, intense labor. For the full birth story, scroll down. He is quite the chunk, weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring almost 23 inches long. He is fairly chill for the most part, although he doesn't hesitate to use those lungs when he needs something.

Squish face - I love, love, love those cheeks.

Oliver "learning" to just watch and not touch the swing.

First walk around the block - day 4.

Napping buddies.

First morning at home.

Introduction to Ollie.

The full birth story...

My labor was very quick this time around - a little over 4 hours from the time I started having regular contractions. I hadn't really had any pre-labor signs besides some braxton hicks contractions here and there, mostly when I was active. Baby had been sitting pretty low for the last three weeks of my pregnancy, but I didn't feel like labor was imminent at all. Ollie was 8 days early, so I was feeling like I was overdue this time around as I approached my due date of April 14, even though I hadn't actually reached it yet. Then I lost some of my mucus plug yesterday morning when I got up to pee around 5:15 am. I was feeling a little crampy, but went back to bed until Ollie got up around 7 am. I was still feeling crampy, but nothing regular and I had a bowel movement, so I kind of thought I was crampy because of that. Mylo left for work and took Ollie to daycare (which is at Mylo's cousin's house) because Ollie really wanted to go play with his cousins. I was just puttering around the house, finalizing our taxes, balancing the checkbook and then around 9:30 a.m. my contractions started to come on pretty strong at about 5 minutes apart, but only lasting 30 seconds.

By 10:30 am they were about 4 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds. They felt pretty intense compared to what I remembered with Ollie (my labor was about 14 hours, more gradual, and I pushed for almost an hour and half), so I called Mylo at work and he left to get Ollie, so Mylo's mom to could come over to watch him. It took him about 1 hour to get home and I started to get a little nervous because my contractions were getting more intense - I had to stop what I was doing, concentrate on breathing, and I would often get down on my hands and knees. I was feeling a lot of pressure in my pelvis/pubic bone area. I called Anne, but I didn't think I was that close to needing to come to the birth center yet, so opted to take a shower at home while I waited for Mylo, who was only 5 minutes away. Once I was in the shower, my contractions got to be 2-3 minutes apart and 45 seconds to a minute long. Mylo got home a few minutes later and he spoke with Anne - they decided we should go to the birth center. I was really just focusing on my contractions - getting down on my hands and knees, swaying, moaning. We got in the car - I had 3 or 4 contractions in the car on the way to the birth center, which were really intense because I couldn't get comfortable.

We got to the birth center at about 1 pm. My contractions were pretty intense, but still manageable. I was very focused (much like last time), but I felt like it was getting intense faster than it should. I began to second guess myself. I felt like there was no way I was going to be able maintain my calm if it continued to get more intense for a longer period of time. Anne checked me and I was already 7 cm dilated with a bulging bag of water. I was just hoping I was at least 5 cm, so that was a relief. Anne had another birth going on at the birth center at the same time, so she was tag teaming the two rooms, plus there was another birth - so there were three women giving birth all at the same time - kind of cool. Anne left the room and my contractions really amped up. I could not find a comfortable position and felt a little out of control, which made me nervous.

Mylo got the tub ready and after I got in the tub (about 3-4 more contractions later) I was feeling the urge to push. I kept telling Mylo, there is no way, it was too early, I was only a 7, but the contractions were just rolling down my uterus and it was like I couldn't control my urge to push. My body was just taking over. Then my water broke and there was meconium, which made me nervous. Mylo went and got Anne. Anne came back in and I was still trying (unsuccessfully) to fight the urge to push. Anne told me I should try pushing. I bore down and pushed through about 4 contractions, squatting then on hand and knees in the tub. I kept feeling my vagina/bottom and after every push it kept bulging more and then I could feel his head. His head crowned and then his head was out all in one contraction. I gave a little push to get his body out and there he was - a huge baby, pushed out in only 4 contractions only 45 minutes after getting to the birth center. It was all a little crazy and Mylo and I were both in awe that it had all happened so quickly. I only had a minor tear, which didn't need stitches (I tore much more with Ollie) and I am feeling great so far. Fortunately, Henry didn't have any meconium aspiration issues. Ollie is adjusting to being the big brother now and is feeling a little attention deprived, but he is so cute and gentle with his baby brother.

It was an amazing experience. Completely different from Ollie's birth - quick, intense, during the day, hardly any pushing. It was certainly a little scary for it to progress so quickly, but amazing none the less. I feel very lucky to have two different birthing experiences - both of which resulted in beautiful, healthy baby boys.

Thank goodness he wasn't overdue - or I would have had a 10 pounder on my hands!

A Countdown of Sorts...

2011-04-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

No baby yet, but we do still have this crazy kid. We are playing the waiting game and trying to patiently wait for baby boy's arrival. Here is how it has been going down...

39 Weeks - The belly is growing and dropping. There is quite a bit of pressure in my pelvis. I went into labor at about this point with Ollie, so we are, fingers crossed, hoping that we will get to meet this bambino soon.

3 nights - Number of nights I have had contractions regularly for a longer period of time. More of the waiting and guessing game. Is this it? Was that a contraction? I tried to go back to sleep, but that is just worthless. I just start to get so excited, only to be disapointed when the contractions stop.

40 lbs - I have gained about 40 pounds thus far, which is about 5 pounds more than I gained last time. I am not really feeling much bigger, but I do feel like I have gained a little more weight in my thighs this time around. Oh joy.

5 days - We are 5 days into Mylo's spring break and my maternity leave. I am taking 6 months off, which is fantastic. We have been enjoying some family time before this baby arrives - running errands, cleaning, planting our vegetable garden, taking walks, going to the park.

Helping Dad dig the holes for our new rhubarb plants.

The lettuce, pac choi, and spinach bed.

Helping Dad unroll the Reemay to protect our garden from the deer, cats, bugs, cold and Ollie. Our yard is not currently fenced, so we had to come up with another solution for now.

We are hoping to have are garden space fenced this summer.

5 days - The number of days left of Mylo's spring break - let's hope this kid makes his debut within the next five days while we are all still home together. If he decides to wait, we are planning to take a trip down to Burlington to go to the Tulip Festival, getting things more organized, re-cleaning to purge my cold germs from the house, maybe squeaking in one last massage.

2800 Square Feet - Every square inch of our entire house has been scrubbed, tidied, organized and cleaned. This kid needs to get here fast before the house gets dirty again. Oh wait...yeah that is right, I have a toddler. Fat chance.

20 minutes - How long it took Mylo to install the infant car seat. Good thing I made him do it ahead of time.

1 hour - Time spent getting a lovely pedicure at the Chrysalis with my co-worker. Such a treat and now my toes are sporting a lovely shade of sparkly purple.

21 days - Until our old house closes. Whoopee! That's right, our house is finally pending. The inspection is done, all terms are accepted, the buyer is pre-approved for financing. Now we just have to wait to sign the paperwork. Such a relief.

Countless hours - have been spent preparing for this kiddo's arrival. We set up the "nursery" in our bedroom for now. We don't have any bedroom furniture besides our new king size bed, so there was plenty of room. I have washed, folded, and put away all the clothes, diapers, blankets, etc. All the gear is freshly washed and sanitized. Since Ollie was born in the fall, I have bought some summer clothes - mostly second hand and a few fun new things. Now we just have to decide what type of double stroller to get. We are leaning towards using our double Chariot for running (I question how much I will run with two kiddos) and then getting the Phil and Ted's Explorer for our day to day use since it is a double inline and we could take it everywhere. We have love, love, loved our single Bob, but the double Bob just doesn't seem practical for the farmer's market or small stores and it is freaking expensive.

Changing table, stocked with teenie tiny diapers, wipes, and tons of clothes.

Cute little outfit that I couldn't resist at a local baby boutique.

Crib complete with mobile, giraffe, and special blankies, which Ollie loves to steal.

The Co-Sleeper is all set up and ready to go. We'll see if he will actually sleep in it.

The comfy chair, all set up for some serious nursing sessions,

complete with a view of the bay.

1 bag - One bag packed and ready to go to the birth center. We are as ready as we are going to be for this little peanut to arrive. So bring on the contractions...

The Ollie Bear

2011-03-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

In light of all this pregnancy hype, I have neglected to post much about Oliver lately. Oliver is almost 2 1/2 and definitely having some 2 1/2 year old moments lately. Despite the "occasional" 2 1/2 year old moment, he is still {in my humble, unbiased opinion} the most adorable, fun little guy ever. Well, at least until his little brother arrives and he has to share "the most adorable" title.

Without further adieu, here is a little more about the Ollie Bear....

He has a great sense of humor and loves to be silly.

He also thinks it is funny to have us take pictures of him.

He is 100% boy. He loves cars, trucks, and big machinery - and he can name most of them. He also loves dinosaurs and legos. He is very much into play these days - it is hard to drag him away for potty breaks or food. He is very dedicated to his craft.

He wants to be just like Dad. Um, yeah - Dad is pretty cool. He has to go with Mylo ever where. He has to help Mylo in the yard. He likes to see Dad's tools when they are "doing work." Ollie told me that working guys, like Dad - wear Carharts. He likes to wear his baseball hat, just like Dad. It is pretty adorable.

Ollie is also very curious and asks lots of questions. He is really getting the hang of his alphabet and numbers. He wants to know how everything works and why. He likes to ask us, "What the time?" - translation: What time is it? He finds sunset fascinating and likes to explain how Mr. Moon and Mr. Sun are either sleeping or awake, depending on the time of day.

He loves to read and has many of his books memorized.

Mylo has recently starting telling Ollie "made-up" stories, which Ollie loves.

He is also very physically active. He likes to "race" around the house. He is gaining confidence on his strider bike - with very small spurts of gliding and balancing. I think he will be flying on it by this summer. He is also still taking gymnastics, which he absolutely loves. He is great at following directions from his teacher and is really getting good at using the equipment.

He is very strong willed and is certainly learning to push back with us to see what his limits really are. He likes to have "options." There is a lot of negotiating going on this household.

He is still the pickiest of picky eaters, which is super annoying. He has actually consented to trying a few veggies lately, although he won't eat them. Baby steps.

He is doing a good job with potty training. We still have accidents, but if you get him on the potty regularly, he will usually go and be accident free. He is starting to tell us when he has to poo, but rarely tells us if he has to pee. It is still a bit of a guessing game.

That is Oliver for you. He is quite the character, with oodles of personality. He is looking forward to the arrival of baby brother and can't wait to be my "helper." He will be starting pre-school this fall at Loving Space school, which is a play-based pre-school. He is pretty excited about it and likes to point out his school whenever we drive by.

37 Weeks {Well Almost}

2011-03-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

Do you like my completely unamused face (above) and fake smile (below)?

I am in between 36 and 37 weeks. Only a little over 3 weeks to go to until the due date (April 14th). Speaking of the due date, at my last appointment with my midwife, she was comparing my ultrasound from Ollie with this peanut. Ollie's ultrasound estimated my due date as November 6th, which was 1 week later than his original due date of October 31st based on my calculations. Ollie was ultimately born 1 week earlier than his October 31st due date and two weeks earlier than the ultrasound due date. This peanut's ultrasound due date is April 8th, but the due date we have been going off of is April 14th, again based on my calculations. So if this pregnancy is anything like the last one (which it very well may not be), I could go into labor anytime after next week (if not next week).

That realization sent me into a bit of a panic mode. I still have some major projects to wrap up at work that I really need to finish before I go on maternity leave (scheduled to start April 1st). Needless to say, I have been feeling a little stressed out, which is not helping my sleep in the slightest. I have been routinely waking up between 3 and 4 am because I am uncomfortable or have to pee and then my brain starts running about all the things I need/want to get done at home and work before this kiddo arrives.

This sums up how I am feeling at 36 going on 37 weeks....

Exhausted
Huge
Uncomfortable
Swollen (fingers and ankles)
Veiny (I have developed some spider and varicose veins behind my knee, so now I have a compression sock to help with that - highly sexy, let me tell you)
Overwhelmed

Essentially, I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy, but at the same time I don't feel prepared to have this little peanut. All the essential stuff is done as far as getting all the baby gear ready, but I feel like our house is a disaster. I have been fighting some major nesting urges all week, but I was just too busy with work to be able to focus on nesting. Bring on this weekend - it is going to be a whirlwind of organizing, cleaning, baby prep, at least a half day at the office and to top it all off, a date night, complete with a movie and dinner at Nimbus.

Of course, I will get everything all done and then this peanut will be 2 weeks late. Go figure.

Salty Dog No More

2011-03-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Completely unrelated photo, but absolutely adorable kid.

I know I have already mentioned it, but Mylo has borderline high blood pressure. He is generally at the high end of normal blood pressure, with spikes of high blood pressure from time to time. We have known about his high blood pressure for a number a years now, but he recently had his yearly physical with a new doctor, so it was at the forefront of our attention again.

High blood pressure or hypertension is not a good thing - especially when you are only 30. It puts you at higher risk for blood vessel damage, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, and vision loss. Yeah, none of that sounds good in the least. You can lower your blood pressure by maintaining a healthy weight, lowering your salt/sodium intake, exercising regularly, lowering your stress and by taking medication. Taking medication obviously comes with a laundry list of potentially unpleasant and harmful side effects. Mylo is pretty anti-medication, so he is hell bent on keeping his blood pressure in check, the natural way.

So we have put the kibosh on sodium/salt in our household. No more salty dogs around here. It has been hard - but I just have to remind myself that it is much more burdensome for Mylo.

The recommended daily intake of sodium is 2,500 mg and the average American consumes 3,000 mg daily. If you are trying to lower your blood pressure, you are supposed to consume 1,500 mg daily. That is a lot of sodium to cut out. Processed foods/meats, canned beans/veggies, and condiments all have tons of sodium. Plus, sodium is found in lots of foods that you wouldn't expect - bread/baked goods, most cheeses, baking powder/soda and cottage cheese are all major sodium culprits. Eating out, forget about it. It is a sodium nightmare.

So we invested in a few low sodium cookbooks - one of which is really, really good. We are reading food labels like fiends. Mylo has been very diligent about what he is eating and is definitely meeting the 1,500 mg of daily sodium intake mark. He has also been working out more regularly and has already lost almost 10 pounds. He still wants to lose about 5 more pounds - but he is looking pretty trim already (not that he looked at all overweight before). I am pretty proud of him and a tad bit jealous that he getting in such great shape when I feel like a whale. But mostly I am just proud of him.

A Bear for Ollie and an Owl for Baby Brother

2011-02-27T15:57:00.001-08:00

In anticipation of baby brother's arrival, my mom and I took Oliver to the Build-A-Bear Workshop (in the mall) to pick out a stuffed friend for himself and one to give to baby brother once he arrives. {Ollie has been asking on a daily basis if baby brother is coming today. It is pretty cute.} Ollie was so excited to go pick out a special stuffed friend. He has lots of stuffed animals, but he isn't particularly attached to any of them - so this was big deal.

There were lots of animals to pick from - bears, owls, wolves, monkeys, etc. Ollie insisted that we look at each and every option. At first he was drawn to two of the pink bears, then moved on to an ugly green St. Patrick's Day bear (see below), and then he settled on a camouflage bear for himself and an owl for baby brother. He picked himself - we didn't pressure him.

The ugly lime green bear.

The final choices - Camo bear and owl.

Oliver got to push the pedal to fill each of our new stuffed creatures with fluff...

Then he pick a heart and put a heart into each one...

Once the owl and bear were stuffed, Ollie gave each of them an air bath...

Then we picked out some clothes for Ollie's bear - which of course,

ended up being a Buzz Lightyear costume...

Then Ollie named them - Max for baby brother's owl and Buzz (of course) for Ollie's bear...

Then we printed out their birth certificates and went on our way.

Ollie was determined to carry his bear, in its little house box, all the way through the mall. At first he wanted to carry both boxes, which he did until his "arms got too tired."

Ollie loves his Buzz. He has been sleeping with him, taking in him the car, and toting him around everywhere. He can't wait to give Max to baby brother - we actually had to put him away so that Ollie would stop asking if he could give Max to baby brother now. It was a fun way to start thinking about baby brother and Ollie had a blast. Now we just need to pick a name for baby brother, so we can start calling him something besides "baby brother".

Haircut

2011-02-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

Ollie hasn't had a haircut since we buzzed his hair (on a long setting) before we left for Mexico, way back around Thanksgiving time. He has had several home haircuts over his lifetime, one of which was a severe buzz cut that left both mama and babe in tears - blame Dad, he's the one who did it.

After our last attempt to cut his hair ourselves, we ended up just buzzing it because he refused to sit still. The buzz cut look is not my favorite look, so I finally bucked up and decided to take Ollie to get a real haircut this time. You know, the kind you actually pay for.

Ollie's hair was a combo of Justin Bieber in the front (especially post nap) and tail/mullet in the back. Definitely time for a haircut. So we headed out to Master Cuts (closest cheap salon venue) for his first real haircut. Here is the before shot in the driveway - ready for action.

The gal who cut Ollie's hair was awesome with him and he sat perfectly still the whole time. I was impressed.

Good-bye tail/mullet...

This is what he looked like most of the time - calm as a cucumber...

He thought the clippers were funny when she went around his ears...

The final product - now he looks like such a big boy. Sigh.

Ollie even got to have a donut, with sprinkles of course, as a treat for doing such a good job during his haircut. Lucky duck.

Tid Bits

2011-02-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few tid-bits for your reading pleasure...

Ollie has been hilarious lately! He is saying the funniest things. The other night as he ate his left over pancake (it was seriously sitting on the counter since breakfast) smeared with peanut butter for dinner he told Mylo, "This is amazing Daddy!" He also asks us "why" constantly and then when we explain something to his satisfaction he says, "Exactly mama, exactly." He has also mastered an awesome fake belly laugh.
I am starting to feel like a whale with my big belly and I still have about 2 months left. Yikes. This is going to get real awkward and clumsy. I feel like there is physically and mentally no way I can wait until April 14th for this kid to arrive.
Ollie needs a haircut in a major way. He has "Justin Bieber" hair up front and a stringy mullet in the back. We are going to get his first "real" haircut (a la salon) this weekend. Pictures to follow...
I have come to the conclusion that my choice to purchase animal print underwear a few months ago when I upgraded sizes for pregnancy growth, was maybe not the best choice. As my rear gets wider, the animal print just keeps stretching to new ungainly proportions. Poor zebra print, it didn't know what it was in for.
Ollie goes to mama and me gymnastics once a week. His teacher is a young, attractive, blonde gal. Ollie totally has a crush on her - Teacher Kelsey is the apple of his eye. He follows her around the gym like a little puppy. The owner was gushing about Ollie and how sweet and happy he his and let it slip that he is one of Kelsey's favorites - it just made me smile! It really is the best feeling to have someone say positive things about your kiddo.
I had an appointment with my mid-wife today. Everything looks great with the baby. He is head down and pretty low in my pelvis already, which is common with a second pregnancy. Maybe he will be a little earlier than his due date - here's to hoping. I also got all my pre-birth paperwork and handouts, like what to pack for the birth. It was a little bit of a reality check - we are in the final stretch now!
Ollie often takes showers with Mylo and I in lieu of taking a bath on his own. It makes for some hilarious commentary on anatomy. Tonight he propped his leg up on the edge of the tub and started running his hand up and down his leg. When I asked him what he was doing, he looked and me and matter of factly said, "Shaving my legs mama." I don't know how long it has been since I shaved my legs with him in the shower, but it hasn't been recently. Observant little bugger.
Mylo recently had an annual doctor check-up (he hasn't had one for years, so I actually scheduled it for him - now I am that wife). He has genetically high blood pressure (which we already knew), so we have been a new lower sodium diet kick around here, per the the doctor's instructions. The goal is to lower his blood pressure through diet and exercise instead of drugs, which have all kinds of nasty side-effects. Mylo got three low-sodium cookbooks for Valentine's Day (he was actually quite excited about them) and we are excited to try some new recipes. It is quite interesting to learn what foods have high sodium - bread, cheese, processed foods, canned and frozen veggies (weird, huh?).

Feeling a little blue...

2011-02-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

I have had a rough couple days. I was feeling very emotional, overwhelmed, and guilty about my mixed feelings about the impending birth of baby number two. I think that it is something women don't talk about much, so I am going out on a little bit of a limb here.

Pregnancy is supposed to be this wonderful experience, filled with excitement and anticipation. It was very much like that with Oliver. I felt very connected to the peanut I was growing. Mylo and I were both excited and we talked about baby stuff on a daily basis.

Enter pregnancy number two. I have a very active two year old; I am working part-time; we bought a new house; we are still trying to sell our old house (which actually is not causing that much stress, but it is still out there - just lingering); my pregnancy has been much more difficult physically; I have not been able to work-out as much (first puking, then pelvic pain issues); and Mylo and I have not taken much "couple time" lately. Add up all those factors and I just feel like I really have not spent much time thinking about this baby.

Don't get me wrong, I have gotten out the baby stuff, organized the baby nook in our room, and Mylo and I have been debating names. But I just don't feel emotionally connected to this pregnancy or baby. It sounds terrible and it makes me feel immensely guilty. I worry that this baby (who was very much planned and wanted) will pick up on my emotional void and feel unwanted - which makes me feel even more horrible. I worry that if I don't feel connected to this baby, that I will have a hard time connecting with him once he is born. I worry that if I have a hard time connecting with him, that I may experience post-partum depression issues (this is how my mind works - crazy, I know). It was a downward spiral of feelings of hopelessness.

I also feel guilty and sad that Ollie's world is about to be turned completely and utterly upside down. He is currently the center of attention. Our routines are based on his routines. We take pride is spending lots of quality time with him - playing, reading, exploring, answering the endless string of "why" questions. I know that I won't be able to give him that kind of attention once number two is here. I won't be able to do the bedtime routine each night. I won't be able to spend as much one on one time with him. I know that in the long run, having a sibling will be an amazing experience for Ollie. I can't imagine not having my siblings - step, half, and full alike. But, it still makes me feel profoundly sad for what Oliver will feel he is loosing.

I am also still feeling overwhelmed about my ability to care for two kiddos. I often feel emotionally maxed out by Oliver alone. I feel like I don't have enough emotional energy to give to another baby. I worry (although I know it is not rational) that I won't be able to love this baby as much as I love Oliver. I am afraid I that I can't meet everyone's emotional needs/demands - two kids, my own, Mylo's.

So all of these feelings and emotions came to head this week after a particularly trying day with Oliver. I sobbed to Mylo that I felt no connection to baby, that I couldn't do this, and I felt completely hopeless and emotionally drained about anything and everything having to do with this pregnancy and baby. I confessed that I wasn't feeling excited about having another baby, that sometimes I wished I wasn't pregnant. I complained about random people's comments about me being "big" (seriously, don't people have any tact). Once I started crying, I just felt completely overwhelmed by all my emotions. I cried for a good half and hour and went to bed early (and slept like crap, I might add).

I woke up still feeling sad and weepy. I felt like a terrible mom (person) for not being excited about another baby. I was on the verge of tears all morning. I talked to my mom and couldn't hold back flood of tears and emotions. Of course, she knew all the right things to say and listened to my sobbing and bumbling. Mom's always know the right things to say - how many years of motherhood does it take to acquire those skills?

Having Oliver has been one of, if not the most rewarding experiences of my life. It has been trying, it has been emotionally draining, it has been hard, but it is still AMAZING. I love him more than I thought I could ever love one little person. Deep down I know that having another little guy will be all those things and more because I will get to experience the brotherly bonding and relationship they will develop over time. It is just a matter of sifting through all these emotions about the unknown - which are particularly difficult for me, being the consummate type A personality and planner that I am.

Just talking about all these things has really made me feel so much better (as cliche as that sounds) - that is why I decided to write about it here. I think I was bottling up my mix of emotions and it was really eating away at me. I am going to take the next couple months (that is all have left before the big day) to focus more myself, this pregnancy, this baby, and Mylo. I am going to try not to feel guilty about my feelings, try to accept that it is okay to have these feelings and even more important to recognize and talk about them.

What We Have Been Up To...

2011-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Not too much exciting stuff to report around here. Just your usual day to day stuff. Nevertheless, here is the update of what has been occupying our time over the last week or so...

Growing, growing, growing...I have reached the 30 week mark now. Only 10 or so weeks left until we get to meet this little guy. I feel big and uncomfortable. Sleeping sucks and I am still having some pelvic pain and lovely heartburn. But otherwise, this pregnancy is going well. Although I feel bigger than last time, after my midwife appointment this week we compared my measurements to last time and what do you know, I am about the same size. I guess that theory is out the window. I do think that I am carrying this baby a lot lower than Ollie - who was a very high little ball, which might explain the discomfort and pelvic issues. Without further ado, here are the belly shots in all their glory...

"Pre-Nesting" Nesting...I don't think you can call it actual "nesting" yet since I still have 10 or so weeks to go, but I have definitely had the baby prep fever lately. I dragged out all the boxes of newborn crap to sift through. There were literally about 10 large Rubbermaid containers of gear, clothing, blankets, towels, bottles, toys and other random crap. I went through all of it, washed what I was keeping and got rid of stuff I didn't want. I organized and put away all the 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes, the blankets, towels, newborn toys and other early gear like carriers/slings etc. I still have to tackle the bottle feeding stuff, pack and play, swing, and car seat. I also have been doing other organizing around the house and some deep cleaning. We still have a little painting to do, some yard work, some frozen meal making and of course more organizing/cleaning before this kiddo arrives. I have enlisted Ollie's help to get it all done...

Ollie the "Laundry Guru"

Playing...We have been trying to get out to enjoy the nice weather when we have it. We got out for nice long walk last weekend even though it was bitter cold and the wind was quite chilly. Ollie was not loving the cold and biting wind by the end of the walk and had a little bit of a breakdown about 10 blocks from home. Fun times, but can you blame him? We also made a sensory box (dry beans in a shallow Rubbermaid container-think indoor sandbox) for Ollie to play with on the not so nice weather days. He absolutely loves it. Ollie is also still going to gymnastics (mommy and me style) one day a week, which he also loves. He adores his teacher and has a pretty big crush on her. He is getting very good at following his teacher's directions and perfecting his moves on the bars and balance beam. I will have to take pictures one of these days.

A stop at the school playground on during our epic walk...

Two peas in a pod...

Planning, planning and more planning...in anticipation of baby number 2, we have been doing a lot of planning and thinking about the future (both immediate and longer term). We have been getting in doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and I scheduled a hair appointment a few weeks before my due date since I know it will be much more difficult to get all these things in once the baby is here. Mylo and I are also planning a night away in early March to take a little break for just the two of us (we have never gone away together overnight since Ollie was born). We have also been trying to decide what baby gear we feel we still need to purchase. Obviously we have most of it already, but there are still a few things we want to acquire - a bouncy seat, light weight swaddle blankets (Ollie's are all flannel and too warm for spring/summer, bottling supplies (although I will be breastfeeding again, I am determined to get this kid to take a bottle so the transition for me back to work won't be too stressful since I plan to continue nursing/pumping and Ollie refused a bottle completely - ugh), and a double stroller (still debating what we want for this one). We were also debating getting a new/newer car to replace my Volvo, which is pretty small. After going around and around about it for a few weeks, we ultimately decided to keep the Volvo for at least another year since we have the Highlander, which is an ample family mobile. The allure of no car payments was just too good to resist - especially when both cars are relatively new (5 & 7 years old) and in good condition.

Pre-school hunting...ridiculous as it may seem, we have started researching pre-schools even though Ollie most likely most start until September 2012 since he has a later fall birthday. Some places have year long waiting lists here. It has been interesting to check them all out and a little stressful too. I have fallen in love with a Montessori school, but still have another play-based pre-school to check out in a few weeks before we make our final decision and get on waiting lists etc. I will be glad to have it done so I won't have to worry about it anymore - until the he actually starts and I have to figure out the whole schedule thing with my work schedule.

Going healthy...well Mylo is going healthy anyway. I figure that there isn't much point for me until this kid has exited my womb, although I have been eating healthier as a result of Mylo's healthy efforts. Mylo has cut out all refined sugar in his diet. It has been a month now and he has only "cheated" a couple times. I am impressed and he is still going strong. As a family, we decided to cut out any and all high fructose corn syrup. We started major label reading while shopping and it was disgusting how many things have corn syrup in them - cereal, bread, pretzels, crackers. The list goes on and on. Mylo has also started limiting his sodium intake and working out more, not only to feel better and healthier, but because he has genetically high blood pressure that he wants to keep in check. He has already lost 5 pounds over the last month - again I am in impressed.

Budgeting Fun

2011-01-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

As I had previously mentioned, one of our goals for this year is to become better budgeters. I have never been very good at budgeting or saving money (those two seem to go hand in hand). Mylo is the opposite - he can save like nobody's business and will go months without spending money on personal items.

That was all fine and good until we got married (almost 5 years ago). Now our financial dichotomy needs to be resolved. We need to be on the same page. Finances aren't something we have ever really fought about, but we both felt like we needed to be more of a team to meet our long term financial goals and build up our savings.

So we decided to start budgeting FOR REAL. We purchased YNAB budgeting software, which is super easy to use and has tons of tutorials to teach you how to budget. We love, love, love it. Part of the YNAB philosophy is that you assign every dollar a job - whether it be groceries, savings, clothing, etc.

We sat down together and created our budget, deciding where we want allocate our money. It has been an eye opener as to how much money we were wasting in areas of spending that we don't really care about or don't get need to spend as much in. Now that we have our initial budget set up, we sit down on a weekly basis to input all our spending for that week, allocating it to each of our budget categories.

We did pretty well for January and stuck to our budget in most areas, except groceries. We always go way over budget with groceries. It is a work in progress. It has been great for us to communicate and talk more about our finances and doing the budget together creates more accountability for both of us. Plus we actually saved money! Woot Woot!

I am actually starting to love budgeting. I guess "budgeting" doesn't have to be bad word after all.