Fairy houses

I've been reading The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule and really enjoying it. So, when the labor day weekend came and it wasn't horrifically hot, the kids and I decided to make fairy houses:

After we set up the house, I found some old clay drip pans in the garage and we decided to paint them for the fairies to they could have some dinner ware.  JJ added two round stones for chairs and we gave them a bit of bread and honey so they'd get the idea that the plates were for them.

The next morning, sure enough the fairies had eaten up the bread and honey!  And apparently they'd used a honking big tongue because rather a lot of the paint was missing off the dishes (thank goodness it was non-toxic - note to self, shellac them next time...). And they were knocked around a bit. The kids were thrilled.  And the dog didn't look terribly guilty either :)

Well the no dairy thing worked! For the last week and a half William has slept 7-9 hours every night. It's insane. It's wonderful. It's terrifying. I keep worrying that there is something wrong with him but apparently thus is how Normal babies sleep. I mean my other two didn't do this so I thought they were normal. Yikes!
But I'm not going to argue with a full nights sleep at 3 months (as long as he keeps gaining weight)!

So here's the specifics - he's got an intolerance (not allergy) to dairy protein and soy. But as these things go its pretty mild - I can still have butter but that's about it. The more protein the worse the reaction - so yogurt and cheese are particularly bad. Small amounts of cooked dairy seem to be ok - I had some biscuits and gravy at my moms with no problem - but uncooked is an issue (like cream in my coffee). So bye bye pizza, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream coffee cake ... But hello sleep! His eczema cleared up within days of me eliminating these things - no more diaper rash, less spit up, less gas and overall happier baby!

He smiled at me

William has been flashing his killer smile for a while. Today he was nursing and he stopped and looked up at me and just broke into the biggest grin ever. He's such a lady killer!

He's started having conversations where he coos and smiles. I just love it. And of course everywhere I go, people just love him- he's such a perfect little baby. He looks like a doll and no one can resist. I had 5 different women and one man come up and talk to me just to be able to be near and admire William including the sushi chef at Krogers. :)

Bye bye dairy

Let us have a moment of silence as we mourn the passing of dairy from my diet at least for the next few days. No more cream in my coffee (which probably means no more coffee if this morning is any indication). No more yogurt. No mor cookies or coffee cake or buttered bread. No more pizza (aaagh) But if it helps him sleep better and be less rumbly tummy it will be worth it. My food diary has lead me to suspect milk and yogurt as the main culprits but as dairy is a daily part of my diet it would explain the ongoing gas and greenish poop issues. So would gluten so if the no dairy thing doesn't work that's my next try. It will certainly be challenging! Fortunately real simple just did an issue that lists a bunch of healthy snacks many of which don't have dairy in them so I'm headed to the store today to pick up some to try and keep my mind off of cheese and cookies. :)

Last night was brutal - William was unable to sleep for more than 30-45 minutes unless he was held. His pooping and gas kept waking him up. He wanted to nurse constantly (which blows my oversupply theory ) and was just miserable. My poor baby!

Eczema maybe

Well the quest to figure out the poop color mystery has now been joined by the what is causing the babies eczema mystery. Could be the same thing. Could be two different things. My current theory is sunspots which I'm sticking with until I get enough data with the food diary. William has a red bumpy rash all over his body with some areas that are very dry patches. I've lotioned the heck out of him but that only helps the dry patches . Doesn't seem to bother him although not much bothers this kid.

I'm switching to method free and clear laundry soap today to see if that helps.

Attachment baby

I have to say william is the classic attachment baby in a lot of ways. Took to breast feeding like a pro, sleeps better when held ( what baby doesn't?), and lives the body carrier. The other two weren't really into the carriers but this little guy adores it. I can take him anywhere and he will be super calm then just fall asleep as long as he's in the carrier. It is a total life saver!

William 2 month appointment and poop

So today was the big 2 month appointment - everything looks great. He's growing well (now 9lbs 5 oz 22 inches and head is 15.5 inches) He got his vaccines (2 combo shots and an oral rotavirus vaccine) Had an issue with excessive bleeding from one of the shots . It turned out to be no biggie - a little pressure stopped it - but we totally freaked at the time. Those needles are friggin' huge! I was sure they'd done something awful to my poor baby . Figures - third one and I still freak out over stuff.

In poop news we are seeing yellow seedy poops finally but still getting green ones too. I'm keeping a food diary but I'm also watching my match technique and block feeding on case it's an over supply issue. Dairy allergies and over supply have annoyingly similar symptoms.

Ugh...blood again

So, I just changed another diaper with blood in it.  Dang it.  It looks like we're going to have to at least do a food diary to figure out what is irritating little bit's lower intestine.  I'm hoping against hope it's not milk, but as I had a big ol' glass of milk last night before I went to bed...well, things are not looking good for the home team on that one.  We shall see.

In other news, the older kids have become "toy deaf."  That is, whenever they have a toy in their little hands (and apparently a piece of junk mail or a toilet paper tube count as "toys") they are completely incapable of hearing anything I say. Unless I use the "mean mommy" voice which generally means there are "consequences".  Consequences often involve toys going into the garage for a specified period of time, or privileges being revoked.  Or time out if the lack of listening is either dangerous or involves a total meltdown.  I don't do melt downs - that's a go-to-your-room-until-you're-done-wailing moment (aka timeout).  Thankfully it's not a constant occurrence.  The meltdowns that is.  The deafness is pretty much the norm.

What's in a name?

This is the story of how William got his (many) names.

When I was pregnant, we talked a lot, as a family, about what we would name the new baby.  We had a long list and everyone had their favorites.  Zoe thought we should name the new baby Isaac.  John thought we should name him Joshua.  And the debate went on.  Other names on the list were William, Nicholas, Erik, and Gregor.  We knew we wanted the middle name of Matson since that was my maiden name.  

When the big day came, we had pretty much decided on Joshua Isaac Matson Baker.  But then when our sweet baby was born and we saw him for the first time, Daddy John said "He's not a Joshua - I think he's a William!"  Our new baby just didn't "look" like a Joshua!  So we spent another day debating names, finally settling on William Nicholas Matson Baker.

Meanwhile, Aunt Sharon was talking to her boys, Benjamin and Samuel, about the new baby's name.  Samuel thought we should name him something short and easy.  "Like Snake!" he suggested.  When he found out  the new baby's full name, he decided he would call him "Nicky."

When Grandma and Oompa visited with the rest of the Matson clan and told them this story, Aunt Judy and Uncle Art suggested we start calling the baby "Nicky the Snake" Baker and get him a tattoo before he starts kindergarten to complete the tough guy image.

At home, John and Zoe are thrilled with their new sibling.  So much so, that they call him "THE baby brother."  As in "Can I hold THE baby brother?" "THE baby brother is crying!" "I love THE baby brother!"

By any name, William, Nicholas Matson Baker aka Nicky the Snake, aka THE Baby Brother is much loved by all.

Not for people

With respect to the salmon we had last night - Zoe took one look at it and said "This is not good for people!"

Update : we had trout tonight which she declared "This is not for children!"

I sense a theme...

The poop follow up (no pictures this time)

Well, I decided to take Senor William Poopy Pants in to the doctor JUST IN CASE. Because, you know, if I didn't, he would totally have some life threatening rare disease that could have been cured if only I had brought him in right away.  Fortunately the mere act of bringing him to the doctor ensures that it is nothing more than a little gastric upset.  Which is exactly what the doctor told me.  Apparently something I ate irritated William's lower intestines a bit.  I do NOT have to cut out dairy yet. We are supposed to keep an eye on it for 24 hours and if it doesn't clear up then we start the no dairy thing.  So I'm not totally off the hook yet, but I have hope :)  I really wasn't looking forward to the no pizza and no cream in my coffee thing.  Call me a wuss if you will!

TMI : Poop picture (ick)

I am definitely taking the little guy to the drs tomorrow - bigger spot of blood this time :(

TMI: The Poop on Poop

7 weeks.  That's how hold our newest little guy is - when, I ask, did that happen!?!?!  I'm pretty sure i just brought him home from the hospital last week. 

Ah well.

Today we embark on a new adventure in parenting - this morning when I changed William's diaper, I notice some small streaks of blood.  Yikes!  After a frantic search on Google, it seems that a) this isn't as scary as it sounds and b) it's probably a food allergy.  To which I say all manner of bad words followed by a deep sigh followed by resignation that I will be cutting out dairy for the next 3 weeks to see if that is what the problem is.  Now, for anyone who thinks I'm jumping the gun on this one, just a quick background - he's had green mucousy poops since he stopped having meconium diapers (the dr. assured us this was ok, as I was a bit suspicious already) which have gotten stinkier in the last week. And yesterday I had rather a lot of dairy (more than usual).  So, lots of indicators to suggest I ought to try this rather irksome diet change.  We shall see!  On the upside, I'll probably lose weight even faster :)

It seems that boys have the poop weirdness down to an art.  Zoe, no worries.  But you may recall JJ and his 14-days-between-poops-OMG-what's-wrong episodes.  Nothing like a LACK of poop to freak you out.  Now this one poops almost constantly and now it's turning interesting colors.  Sigh...

So, I'll keep you posted.  Maybe with pictures (I know it sounds ewwww but, you know, I wish someone had put pictures out there for me to see what's normal.  Don't look at it if you don't want to see it - I won't blame you :))

Flying side kick

Gotta love the sleep poses children get in. I call this "crouching giraffe flying toddler" :)

5 hours a day

That's approximately how much time I spend feeding William (thank you trixietracker for that piece of data). And I wonder why I feel like I'm always sitting on my butt? Of course we're tandem nursing do that doesn't count the time I spend with his sister (20-40 minutes).

Thank goodness for books and computers or I'd go out of my mind having to be parked that long . As it is it is kinda nice to have a reason to read/ write/ surf - maybe I can finally get caught up here :)

We're almost there

B-day is right around the corner and it's time for the last minute waist measurement and weigh in. So far I've gained about 24lb (let's hear it for consistency) and am measuring around 47 inches in the waist. I'll check again tomorrow to make official.

Contractions on and off for the last 2 Week. Swollen ankles and occasionally hands. No energy at all. I will be glad for Friday !

Toddler Fevers and Rash

So this past week has been a nail biting adventure in toddler health issues.  First, the set up - 3 weeks ago, JJ was diagnosed with an ear infection.  Then Zoe got pink eye.  Then John got strep.  So, when Sunday rolled around, everyone was on some form of antibiotics, except for me (and Zoe who had just finished her eye drops).  Sunday afternoon, Zoe wakes up from her nap with a fever of 102.  Oh crap, here we go.

Monday morning Dr. visit: They examine her and she has a double ear infection.  Still running a fever of 100 even with ibuprofen and is generally miserable.  Prescribe antibiotics.

Tuesday afternoon: She breaks out in a rash all over.

Wednesday morning Dr. Visit: Still has rash and fever.  Dr. thinks it's probably viral, but she's also complaining of leg pain, neck pain, and the ibuprofen isn't helping the fever.  He sends her for blood and urine tests (she's also saying her tummy hurst right before she pees).  She is a total trooper and doesn't even flinch when they do the blood draw!

Wednesday night: Fever finally breaks.

Thursday morning: Still has rash all over.  It gets worse when she is hot - swells up slightly. Behavior continues to be somewhat subdued, but better than previous.

Friday-Sunday: Behavior is still subdued, but getting more normal. Still no fever.

Sunday night: While helping her wash her hands, I notice small red dots on the back of her hand:

I have been reading LOTS about rashes and recognize these as petechiae. This is the one type of rash to be really worried about.  So, we call the after hours nurse who tells us to take her to the ER.  

Turns out the petechiae, in this case, were caused by her blood draw on Wednesday. Thank goodness!  She is sent home and we are told to keep an eye on her for lethargy etc.

So, bottom line, nothing serious, but lots of stress for everyone involved because it kept looking like it might be something serious.  And the medical professional kept saying "It's good you brought her in" because a lot of what we saw *could* have been life threatening. Thank goodness it wasn't.

Too much....

This weekend Zoe trotted up to her Uncle-cousin Charles and asked "Unca Chawles - will you come to da den to pway wif me?" Ever the cut up, Uncle Charles replies "It depends, how much money do you have?" After only a moments consideration, she replied "Too much."

Needless to say, he went to the den to play with her :)

Allergies are the new pink eye

Last week, JJ came down with what Dr. Mom and Dr. Dad were CERTAIN was pink eye. He had all the signs - rubbing his eyes, complaining of itchiness, blood shot eyes, the whole nine yards. Being proactive parents, we kept him home from school and administered eye drops and made him wash his hands a million times a day and followed him around with antibacterial wipes to wipe down every surface he touched like we were trying to remove evidence from a crime scene.

A week later, no progress. So we broke down and decided to take him to a REAL doctor.

Survey says? Allergies. Yup, good old fashioned allergies. Now, we KNOW he's got allergies - the constantly running nose and occasional rash is more proof than needed for that - but this is a first for the eye thing. I felt like a total idiot treating him for something he doesn't have. Dang it - stupid lack of medical degree....

Meanwhile, at the doctor, JJ and I are leaving and he stops to say "Wait! Mommy I have a really important question I need to ask the doctor!"
"What is it honey? I can see if he can come back out here if he needs to..."
"Do I have to go to school today?"

And there we have the priorities of the 4 year old :) Needless to say, he was none too pleased to find out that allergies are NOT contagious. Sorry about that jellybean!

Wittle tiny...somethingorother

Zoe seems delighted (translation: obsessed) with smallish toys. At first, it was her "wittle tiny" elephant. Then the "wittle tiny" bear. Now, anything under 6 inches becomes her "wittle tiny" fill in the blank. And make no mistake - if it is wittle tiny, it is hers.

Welcome to the Granny Panties of cars...

So....with 12 you may get eggrolls, but with 3 you get a minivan. Yes, we've decided to take the plunge and go buy, what I lovingly refer to as the "granny panties" of the car world. No one, but NO ONE, gets a minivan because they are hot. Or stylish. They are the ultimate in practicality. Like sensible shoes and early bedtimes.

Unless of course you are these people:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4&noredirect=1

(Special thanks to Lisa N. for the link - I snorted my water watching it!)

Sometimes, the 10 minute ride to work is just TOOO far

In the driveway at home....

In the parking garage at work...

It's a boy!

It's official - the new baby is a boy. And we're also officially stumped with names. Currently in the running are (in no particular order):

• Isaac
• Ian
• Joshua
• Peter
• William

The only thing we DO know for sure is the middle name will be Matson.